University students soon will have some tough decisions to make, such as what type of fast food restaurant they prefer or what color carpet they think looks best in a lounge.
Such decisions will culminate in the design of the University's new Student Center, a project spearheaded by Student Council's New Student Center Committee.
Third-year College student Steven Reinemund, chairman of the New Student Center Committee, and Vice Chairman Matthew Pritchard embarked on a two-week journey this summer to discover what makes student centers across the nation successful. They plan to use the findings in plans for the University's new center.
The seven institutions they visited are the University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Illinois and the University of Indiana. The colleges are all peer institutions of the University, according to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
After determining the best student center attributes and sorting through more than 300 photographs, Reinemund and Pritchard compiled their findings in a "best practices" book, which lists the 10 best overall characteristics of the student centers. They also mentioned the best revenue-generating and building design practices.
Some of their findings were expected, such as the need for large indoor lounges, ballroom and formal dining facility and a student resource center to provide work space for a large number of student groups.
But other more obscure practices made the top 10 list as well. For example, after having problems with paint being spilled on the floor by organizations creating banners, the University of Wisconsin-Madison established a banner painting room in which spilled paint is acceptable.
The most surprising finds were hotels in the student centers at Wisconsin and Illinois, which Reinemund said were "highly lucrative" and convenient. The hotels offer moderately priced, comfortable rooms that are used by visiting family members and friends, he said.
The committee plans to combine its findings with specific needs of the University.
"The most important thing for us now is to receive input from students about their particular wants and needs in the student center," said Student Council President Abby Fifer.
Patricia Lampkin, vice president for student affairs, will work with Council to hire a consultant to shape the center's development. The consultant will assess current social and academic patterns at the University and evaluate how those should be incorporated into the new center, Fifer said.
The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs will fund the consultant's work.
Students can expect another survey and various forums this semester to help the committee tailor the center to the specific wants and needs of the University community, Reinemund said.
After the committee develops a well-researched, concrete plan to present to potential donors, it will resume its fund-raising goal.
Although the committee's original goal was to raise money over the summer, it decided to "back up and get a better idea of what a student center is" before soliciting funds, Reinemund said.
"Fund-raising will go exponentially faster," once a tangible plan can be presented to potential donors, he said.
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