A redesign plan for Ackerman Union is in the works, though it is unclear how extensively officials assessed student demand before bringing in outside consultants to figure out how the space can benefit students.
The ASUCLA Board of Directors is spending $300,000 to pay professionals to evaluate how space in the student union can be better used.
That money comes out of the ASUCLA general fund, and no student fees are involved, said Rich Delia, financial director for ASUCLA. Sales from the bookstore and other ASUCLA enterprises generate the necessary revenue to allow the organization to reinvest in its facilities.
It’s been 15 years since the last major revamp of the student union or the store. In 1996, the lower-level store area was rebuilt. While businesses such as Carl’s Jr. have been added, Delia said it’s time to see if improvements can be made, in the hope of boosting sales overall.
Goals include creating a “welcoming bookstore and lounge” area by integrating the A-level and B-level bookstores, adding more boutique-style stores and developing a consistent interior design, according to project information provided by ASUCLA.
ASUCLA is also looking at easing practice space constraints for dance teams and offering more study spaces for students, both of which came from looking at student demand in advance.
Three months into its budget, ASUCLA is performing more strongly overall than this time last year, Delia said, but its enterprises could still be doing better on the whole. Redesigning Ackerman Union stands as a dramatic course of action to boost sales.
Bringing in professionals for an outside opinion is normal for any major capital investment on campus, where the cost will run in the millions of dollars. That was the case with the South Campus Student Center, budgeted at $8.5 million.
Either way, ASUCLA has earmarked about $2 million for a redesign of Ackerman Union, Delia said.
The board, however, hired consultants for two purposes: to determine the return on investments and to see how the project could benefit students.
The former makes sense. But when it comes to students, in general, ASUCLA should find a well-publicized means of broadly assessing student demand in advance of major projects.
Professionals are, obviously, professionals, and the counterargument is that students will appreciate the changes once made. But this multi-year, possibly phased construction project is one that current students would likely not be around to enjoy.
That said, many students interviewed said they were fine with the student union the way it is. At the very least, the ones using the space most often would not mind being asked.
Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board.