Campaign promises made by the newly-elected majority of Student Senate might be coming to fruition even before the new student leaders have taken office.
The bottom floor of Baker University Center will undergo a major overhaul this summer to become a “flexible, welcoming, transformable space” for students, said Sujit Chemburkar, Baker Center’s executive director during a presentation to senate last night.
“What I’m looking for is to create a destination,” he said. “It’s gonna be bright and it’s gonna be exciting.”
A renovation of Baker’s first floor was one of the main points of the RSVP party during the recent election season. The ticket nearly swept the election, taking all but three seats. The project will be finished by the time the senators-elect have their first meeting in Fall Quarter, Chemburkar said.
The area of Baker Center that houses Latitude 39 and the pool tables will be converted into a new space, including a dance floor and more comfortable seating, Chemburkar said. He added that it will also be open ideally until 2 a.m. and serve an expanded menu, including beer.
“We’re gonna propose a different menu … One of the powerful things about this idea is that our alcohol license covers this entire area,” he said. “There’s always going to be something going on.”
A gate will be put in to prevent patrons from accessing the other floors of Baker Center while they are closed. The whole project will cost $200,000, which are rollover funds from the past few years that have accrued through “careful management,” Chemburkar said.
Senators said they were pleased with the plan.
“I think it’s great news,” State and Federal Affairs Commissioner Chris Wimsatt said, adding that it will contribute to campus safety. “You’re a heck of a lot less likely to have a bar fight at Baker Center than you are at Lucky’s or at Pawpurr’s.”
President Jesse Neader said the renovation plans had been turned down by the Budget Planning Council before but that he was glad to see them happening without additional financial assistance.
“I think we’ve been trying to make the university center more of a student center for years,” he said.
Chemburkar said he hopes students will use the space more after the renovation is complete.
“I want you to be drawn in to the space,” he said. “Use it, relax, be involved in the space — make it a destination more than a passive location.”
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