Several student organizations are struggling to secure office and meeting space after the eviction and relocation of student groups from Peabody Hall this summer.
Stephen Breton, Baha'i Students' Association recording secretary, said although his group was located in Newcomb Hall last year, the addition of several other student organizations in Newcomb has intensified the fight for space.
"Whenever we want to [meet] we try to reserve rooms, but otherwise we have to just do the best we can," Breton said. "It's difficult to make sure we always have a place to meet."
Newcomb Hall Director Eddie Daniels said the problems are an inevitable result of the Peabody move.
"Clearly we have a net loss of meeting space because of the lost space in Peabody and the changes in Newcomb," Daniels said. "But we have been working very hard to accommodate everyone."
Administrators cleared student groups from Peabody Hall this summer to make room for the Office of Admissions.
Some of the student groups who had Peabody offices last year, including the Inter-Fraternity Council and Corks and Curls were moved to Newcomb Hall.
Other organizations that previously had offices in Newcomb were moved to other parts of the building to make room for the groups who lost office space when they were removed from Peabody.
"Over the summer, groups from Peabody moved into our former office space, so we didn't have an office," said Areshini Pather, president of the University's National Organization for Women chapter.
NOW moved its office into a cubicle in Newcomb Hall Aug. 30, but other groups have not been as lucky, Pather said.
"From my understanding, the Peabody Hall move - which was made over [students'] heads - displaced a lot of groups, and they are still struggling to overcome that," Student Council College Rep. Andrew Woodson said.
La Sociedad Latina and Monroe Society now have only stacks of boxes in an empty storeroom on the first floor of Newcomb Hall as office space.
But not all student organizations are unhappy with the availability of space.
"We're really satisfied by the way Newcomb Hall administrators and Student Council handled the move," University Democrats President Rhodes Ritenour said.
In addition to problems with office space, many organizations have had difficulties reserving meeting space.
Officers from the Phi Alpha Delta pre-law fraternity were told by Newcomb Hall reservationists to call the Registrar's office to find meeting space, Woodson said.
The Baha'i Students' Association has held meetings in the Newcomb Hall informal lounge for lack of reserved meeting space.
Groups are allowed to reserve meeting space in Peabody Hall, but will be unable to once construction begins this month.
Student Council is discussing the possibility of constructing a student center specifically to house student organization offices.
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