Student Center In Review

In the two years since its inception, the Student Center has quickly become the center of student life on campus.

Ainsley Carry, vice president of student affairs, said the Student Center has served its purpose exactly as the University hoped it would.

"I wasn't here for the Foy days, but I am told the traffic that is in this building and the amount of students that just hang out here is totally different than how it used to be in Foy," Carry said.

Carry said students use the building as a hangout during the day, before and after classes.

Students also use the building to study, take naps, watch TV and socialize.

"For my first two years at Auburn, I was in Foy all the time," said Anna Lee Alford, graduate student in finance.

Alford said she remembers Foy as feeling cramped.

"I loved Foy, but the building just wasn't meeting the campus' needs," Alford said.

The Student Center opened in August 2008, just in time for use for the fall semester.

The grand opening was in November 2008 and featured Auburn administrators, faculty and beloved former dean of students Dean Foy for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We have not added any additional food space," Carry said. "We have tried, through dining services, to pay attention to what students are saying, and we have adjusted venues to meet student demands."

Venues such as Coyote Jack's and Mama Leone's have been replaced with more popular choices, such as Nathan's Hot Dogs and Papa John's.

One aspect of the Student Center planned for improvement is the amount of seating, Carry said.

"There are times when you can walk into this building in mid-day, at our peak, and there are people sitting on the floor," Carry said. "If we're going to be the premium dining venue, we've got to have places for people to sit down. In the near future, before this semester is over, we're bringing in some more leisurely, comfortable seating throughout the building."

One aspect of the building that has come under scrutiny has been how many hours it is available for student use.

Carry said student government is going to start exploring the possibility of the Student Center being open for 24 hours.

The building currently closes at midnight and opens at 6 a.m.

"If we didn't have the Student Center, the campus would be lacking," said Eric Hayes, fifth-year in business administration.

Hayes said he feels the Student Center is valuable to students as a place to study other than the dorm or the library.

"It's one of the biggest, nicest buildings I've seen on any college campus," Hayes said. "I like the third story--it's a good place to find a quiet spot to study."

Hayes said one of his favorite parts of the building is the game room located on the first floor.

"Foy definitely didn't have anything like that," Hayes said.

Carry said one of the things he wishes he could change is the ballroom space.

"It is not adequate," Carry said. "The ceiling is not high enough to hold a major event. I wish we could go back and rethink that space, but it is too late for that."

Some minor problems have occurred in the building from time to time, but Carry said that is normal for new buildings.

There were problems with the student media offices, including lack of sound proofing at WEGL and a leaky ceiling in The Plainsman office, among other issues throughout the building.

"We've had some minor issues like that, but nothing major," Carry said. "It has been a very well built building."

Carry said they probably could have done a better job making the design easier for people to find their way around in the building.

Despite the complications, the building is heavily used.

Many student organizations are reserving space in the meeting rooms.

"We wish we could step back three years ago in the design phase, and add more meeting rooms for student organizations," Carry said. "Right now we are bursting at the seams."

Carry said the building now features door counters at the exits.

"We reached a point in October where we saw half a million people in and out of the building," Carry said. "I think that's astronomical. That's wear and tear on the building, on the restrooms, the furniture, the carpet, so we are constantly trying to keep the building clean."

The Student Center seems to have brought the Auburn family together under one roof in just two years.

"That is one of the biggest changes that it has brought to campus," Carry said. "It's a place for students to just hang out. It's exactly what we want in this building."