A forum held Tuesday night brought together the designers for the proposed renovations to Binghamton University’s Old University Union and concerned student groups to discuss the controversial project.
While construction is slated to begin nearly two years from now ‘ and will take nearly a year to complete ‘ representatives from student groups expressed agitation at not being consulted on the project, and about rumors that student space will be compromised for more administrative offices.
Ken Boston, one of the project coordinators on the Physical Facilities staff, was at the forum to answer questions and address concerns as well as outline the basic plan for the renovation. He acknowledged the concerns many students have expressed ‘ that they were being left out of the loop on the renovation, and will have no say in the planning process.
‘It’s been perceived that [Physical] Facilities has done things without talking to anybody and to some extent that is true, but not totally true,’ said Boston in his introduction. ‘What I am really here to do is to hear what you have to say and hear what your ideas are.’
The project is still in its early stages; there is no chief architect for the project, no set of blueprints have been created and the concept for the renovation is still being worked out, but concerns are being voiced by many student groups that rely on the space for their activities.
With there already being a restricted amount of space for student group activities, many groups are worried that the new renovations will be used to reallocate space for administrative needs. Administrators have said that moving some important offices, like the Registrar or Student Accounts, to a more central location like the Old Union would be beneficial to students, but stressed that no decisions have been made.
When asked who would benefit more from the renovation, students or the University administration, Boston said, ‘I have no political ties here whatsoever and I can honestly say that the students will benefit most from this.’
One student asked if any student groups currently located in the Old Union could be guaranteed to be allotted at least the same amount of space after renovations are completed.
‘I’m not in a position to guarantee,’ Boston responded. ‘But I can certainly assure you that that is not the train of thought that anybody is taking.’
Accommodations during the construction period were also a concern for many groups, but still an unknown.
‘We don’t know what will happen with groups during construction,’ said Boston. ‘We want to have a chance to find out what your needs are and try to meet those needs during construction.’
A variety of other concerns were raised as well, ranging from wheelchair accessibility to the redesign of the Undergrounds for better acoustics, but with the planning and design of the renovation still in its infant stage, most concerns weren’t given a definitive ruling. Boston expressed his desire to work with students during the planning stage.
‘We want to work with students to try to accommodate people’s needs for space.’
The plan for the Old Union is actually a secondary one, prompted by necessary repairs to the building, including roof repairs and asbestos abatement.
‘The project in actuality is to abate this building; that’s what the money is for,’ said Boston, referring to the $14 million allocated from the State University Construction Fund. ‘In the process of abating the building we will be doing a lot of renovations.’
‘The plan is to make the area as flexible as possible,’ he added.