As the semester comes to a close, Student Association (SA) President Terrell Coakley is looking to depart with a final impact on campus by starting projects that he will ultimately leave for the next SA Executive Board (E-board).
While the goal to have the Student Union (SU) open later is completed, Coakley is looking to create additional food space in the SU.
“I just had a conversation and I’m going to pass it along to the next E-board,” Coakley said.
Coakley said he suggested creating a food space in addition to Hawk Street Station. He said if the senate next year works on it and if Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) has the funding for it, an additional food area will be open in the SU until 1 a.m.
Michael Patterson, director of student activities and union services, said the SU is used for club meetings, a place to study and serve as a common place for students to connect and socialize. He said having it open longer will benefit the students in a variety of ways and he understands Coakley’s rationale of getting an additional food space in the SU because it is a natural facility to look at.
Patterson said the office of Student Activities and Union Services made the recommendation to reallocate the hours of the SU. He said some hours were taken off Sunday to extend the hours from Monday to Thursday until 1 a.m.
“Based on our usage and conversation with the Student Association we came to a common ground in terms of what was the best case scenario for everybody,” Patterson said.
Patterson said while Coakley’s effort to get additional food space in the SU is in its infancy of a conversation, it is a good idea. He said it is a good choice for SA to continue the conversation with food service providers and it will be interesting to see where that conversation leads.
First-year undeclared major Melissa Iachetta said she thinks it isn’t fair that the SU closes earlier than other schools.
“I have some friends at Hofstra University and they had a Student Union like ours with a pool table and TV’s and everything,” Iachetta said. “They also had a food place within the building. I thought that was such an awesome and convenient feature. Furthermore there were so many students there taking advantage of the late hours. I think students will be [in the SU] even more with the late hours and possible food options.”
Coakley said he has sought feedback from students by sitting in Hasbrouck and in front of Hawk Street Station. He said in one day he got feedback from about 80 students. He said the general consensus was that students wanted alternative food options which would be open later, no matter the location.
“Every student, I don’t care who you are, freshmen, sophomore, everybody wants something else,” Coakley said. “That’s the exact phrase, ‘I want something else and I don’t care where it is.’”