Commuters looking to relax in their own on-campus lounge haven't found the spacious room with tables, desks and couches they were accustomed to in previous years.
Instead they'll find a much smaller space with less than half the number of couches, no desks and much less privacy. The commuter lounge has been split up and relocated to 220 and 222 Student Union, with the new Intercultural and Diversity Center now occupying the commuter lounge's old location.
UB officials said the new diversity center will facilitate multicultural interaction, but UB commuter students said they feel left out.
"All we see in this diversity lounge is new furniture, and we have old furniture, a broken TV and nails sticking out of the recliners," said Francis Marrano, a junior political science major.
Andrea Costantino, director of Student Life, said the new center is the best possible use for that space and can be utilized by more students.
"We did a user study to see how many people use that room in the course of the day and during the course of a week, and we found that the same 50 to 60 students utilize that space each day," said Costantino. "When looking at that, for the space and size of the room, we're only servicing a small population. We're trying to better serve the campus as a whole, that's where the diversity center came out."
The new diversity center, with a grand opening set for Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. in 240 Student Union, is part of an effort to unite students from different backgrounds.
"You can walk by a number of diverse people (on campus) but if you never sit down and talk to them, you'll never know anything about them," said Vicki Sapp, director of multicultural affairs and the new center.
Sapp said she wants to complete the transition that began in the 1960s with what was then called Minority Student Services.
These offices were mainly created to deal with issues involving black students' civil rights, according to Sapp. In the '80s and '90s, they became Multicultural Centers designed to aid "students of color" with their transition into college and to help them feel accepted.
Sapp said the Intercultural and Diversity Center aims to bring in students not only of different races, but also those of different religions, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and disabilities.
Marrano said the center does not serve as many students as it has been advertising.
"Nobody goes up there. Last year every seat in the commuter lounge was filled all the time, there was never empty space. We even had individual rooms for work and we don't have that now," he said.
Peter Rizzo, SUNY SA delegate and a commuter student, said in general the commuter accommodations are inadequate and problems have been ignored.
"There is no place big enough to accommodate these kids," Rizzo said. "They've shoveled the kids out of the room they were in last year and there's clearly not enough space. What bothers me the most, though, is that they were told the problem would be rectified, and I've seen little to no progress being made."
Costantino said the new center would bring an educational component to the lounge area as well as appeal to a larger population of students.
"Groups of students monopolized the space when there are so many spaces in the Student Union that allow students to lounge around," Costantino said. "Really, it wasn't an effective use of space."
Sapp said the main goal of the center is not to change the culture of the university, but rather the climate. Many students said the center would be a valuable addition but weren't so sure if they would utilize it.
"With so many people here, it's hard not to be curious about others' cultures, backgrounds or lifestyles," said Alyssa Wisniewski, a freshman biochemistry major. "The center would probably be a good place to do hands-on research about differences but personally, I'd use my computer to look up any questions I had."
Several other students said they saw the Intercultural and Diversity Center as an important resource but didn't think they would have enough time in their schedules to visit it.
"It sounds like a good idea, but I'm really busy with classes and activities so I probably won't be able to spend much time there," said Larry Hankin, a sophomore business major. "I guess I could check it out though."
Nate Wall, a senior fine arts major, was much less optimistic, saying that he believes in diversity awareness on campus but remains unconvinced of the possible success of such a place.
"In my opinion, such a center could potentially be beneficial and symbiotic to the student population, but in contrast, I am skeptical of the bureaucratic process lying within such a fa?\0xA4ade," he said.
Wall suggested other options for on-campus cultural understanding.
"I think awareness of diversity is essential, but a lounge devoted to the concept seems a little overkill. The information is already available for those who seek it," Wall said.
The new center seems to have stirred up a good amount of controversy even before its opening, whether it is from students questioning its utility or commuters crying out for their old space.
Marrano said he only wants to regain the space he and his friends were able to use last year.
"Why did we get moved to a smaller room with less amenities when the former room was larger and better?" Marrano said. "I just want our room back."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
