This summer, the Student Advisory Group and Core Planning Team headed plans for the transformation of New South’s non-residential space into a student union. The construction would begin upon completion of the Southwest Quadrangle cafeteria, which is slated for fall 2003.

The Student Advisory Group, which includes members of the Georgetown Program Board, the Corp and GUSA, met once in June to make preliminary recommendations.

Popular ideas included performance spaces, a movie theater and central mailbox space. Some even suggested a bowling alley along the length of New South, committee member Nazareth Haysbert (SFS ’05) said.

Although none of the specific suggestions’ implementation is guaranteed, students on the committee agreed that the space should be utilized as a center of student activity on campus.

“We’re taking a look at the student areas of colleges around the country,” Rob Hutton (SFS ’04) said. “We’ve all agreed that we need a continuation of what we saw with the Village C Lounge in terms of pool tables, TVs and couches.”

Many Georgetown students said the creation of a sense of community is aimed at keeping more students on campus and maintaining a safe college environment.

“I would love to see an all-inclusive multi-purpose pub house that would create interaction of student and faculty,” student bartender Keith Mazza (MSB ’03) said. “An underage aspect with billiards, air hockey tables and a dance table would also be a necessity. It would bring everything a whole lot closer to school and make it safer.”

“It should be something that all or most of our campus can use. I don’t think we necessarily need more space for commercial things, but I think a student space like a pub or movie theater would be great,” Matt Stuart (COL ’05) said.

Others, however, want to ensure that this new space would be more student-friendly.

“It would be good to have a student space on campus that doesn’t charge for services like the Village C Lounge,” Joe Spitz (MSB ’05) said. “That way everyone can have access to it.”

Several special interests groups, including the Student Activities Commission, Office of Performing Arts, the Club Sports Advisory Committee and the Media Board, will advocate their proposals at a round-table discussion scheduled for Sept. 9. An emphasis on performing arts space is also being discussed, with suggestions including a central box office and music practice rooms.

“We’re trying to establish a motivating force behind the arts to make sure the space could be geared toward that,” Haysbert said.

Suggestions from the various committees will be used to create an electronically formatted survey to discern student body wants and needs, Advisory Group member and Student Association President Kaydee Bridges (SFS ’03) said.

“We need a good turnout on the survey because we want to be very thorough and cover everything students want,” Bridges said. “It’s easier for me to advocate for students if I have actual numbers.”

The survey will be mandatory in order to successfully pre-register for the spring semester.

The Core Planning team, composed of administrative and departmental heads from organizations like the Office of Students Affairs and the Office of Campus Facilities, will continue to meet in order to discuss long-term goals for the space and evaluate similar student centers at other universities.