Sam Dunaway | News Editor
Ever since the joining of Wolf Express and Caffe Allegro during the summer of 2017, the space previously occupied by the Wolf Express convenience store has remained empty. But students coming back to Western in fall 2018 will find the space filled by a brand new, reservable conference room and an office and work space for the Student Activities Board.
The WUC Advisory Committee, a group of representatives from all offices within the Werner University Center, created a subcommittee to redesignate the space after it was vacated. An application process invited student organizations and campus departments to apply for the 1,040-square-foot location on the second floor of the WUC.
After an interview process with the applicants and a recommendation by the subcommittee, 60 percent of the space was granted to the Student Activities Board.
“Our whole main goal with that space is to not only create a programming space, but we also want to create a community space, a work space, and storage,” explained SAB director Matthew Ciraulo.
SAB is currently located on the first floor of the WUC and this expansion would almost double their working area. Ciraulo noted that, with the growing number of students attending the board’s events, they are hoping to continue the organization’s growth and get more people involved.
“We really want to make it a welcoming space. We want people coming in, asking questions, and getting to know SAB,” he expressed.
While 60 percent of the area was designated for SAB use, the other 40 percent will hold a reservable conference room similar to the Little D and Rogue rooms in the WUC. The conference room is going to come fully equipped with a flat panel screen, SMART capabilities and room for approximately 14 individuals.
“The conference rooms are some of our most reserved spaces in the building,” explained WUC Advisory Committee chair Patrick Moser. “I think it’ll be really popular.”
The committee is in the process of drafting designs for the space so that the conference room and SAB office will be completed by the beginning of fall 2018.
Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu.
