2008 Woodie Awards
Student Union ready for University Center
Lindsey Pogue
Issue date: 10/25/06 Section: News
Sonoma State will have more to offer students in fall 2009. Although on a tight schedule, the Sonoma Student Union Corporation (SSUC) is preparing to move all of its operations to the new University Center that is in the early stages of planning. This will be a follow-up project to the corporation's last endeavor, the Recreation Center. Although the new University Center's design is still undetermined, what it will encompass is something to look forward to.
"The Student Union is too small for a campus our size, and it doesn't have the right mix of amenities and have space and facilities to support students. We have to be positioned to provide adequate services," said Peter Neville, executive director of SSUC.
"The growth of the university is at the point where we can't not do this if we want to be a good and outstanding campus."
Neville hopes that working with the student representatives and the task force behind the operations will help create an environment that will benefit everyone on campus. He believes that in working in partnership with Sonoma State Enterprises (SSE), Associate Student, Inc. (ASI) and the Student Union (SSUC), the corporation will help make the decision-making throughout the process of development diverse.
"Despite having different perspectives and coming from different departments, we want to do everything in our power to deliver something to the students that will make a difference for years to come."
Because the current Student Union building is so old, and the number of students at SSU is increasing every year, the move to a bigger and safer building is welcomed by the SSUC. It has already implemented some changes to help employees work in such a small building.
"We are testing them to see how they work now, and if we want to carry the new model over the other building. It's all just experimental right now" said Joey Ciccone, operations manager for the SSUC. He explained that uniting organizations like the Center of Gender and Cultural Studies (CGCS), ASI and SSE together can result in more effective programs, instead of keeping them separate entities within the union around campus. Ciccone has been attending board meetings and visiting other campuses around California to see what is working and what is necessary in considering the project. His contribution is to offer a more knowledgeable student perspective for the operation.
"The Student Union is too small for a campus our size, and it doesn't have the right mix of amenities and have space and facilities to support students. We have to be positioned to provide adequate services," said Peter Neville, executive director of SSUC.
"The growth of the university is at the point where we can't not do this if we want to be a good and outstanding campus."
Neville hopes that working with the student representatives and the task force behind the operations will help create an environment that will benefit everyone on campus. He believes that in working in partnership with Sonoma State Enterprises (SSE), Associate Student, Inc. (ASI) and the Student Union (SSUC), the corporation will help make the decision-making throughout the process of development diverse.
"Despite having different perspectives and coming from different departments, we want to do everything in our power to deliver something to the students that will make a difference for years to come."
Because the current Student Union building is so old, and the number of students at SSU is increasing every year, the move to a bigger and safer building is welcomed by the SSUC. It has already implemented some changes to help employees work in such a small building.
"We are testing them to see how they work now, and if we want to carry the new model over the other building. It's all just experimental right now" said Joey Ciccone, operations manager for the SSUC. He explained that uniting organizations like the Center of Gender and Cultural Studies (CGCS), ASI and SSE together can result in more effective programs, instead of keeping them separate entities within the union around campus. Ciccone has been attending board meetings and visiting other campuses around California to see what is working and what is necessary in considering the project. His contribution is to offer a more knowledgeable student perspective for the operation.