"Some Settle, Others Gripe"

After a series of office moves in the Student Union at the start of the semester, the affected groups that found themselves in either a smaller space, a different space, or with no space at all are having mixed reactions to the temporary changes.

In anticipation of a major office re-organization next fall, Generation downsized, SA lost its club resource center, and the Student Counseling Center moved in from Ellicott.

Dave Ballard, associate director of Student Life, said he wished that UB had a bigger Student Union to accommodate the needs of all the offices.

"Right now our walls are bulging," he said.

SA President Anthony Burgio agreed with Ballard, saying he believes there is not enough room in the Student Union.

Burgio added, however, that he was more than willing to sacrifice the third floor club resource center for the new North Campus health center.

"The club resource center was a substantial loss, but it is for the greater good of the student body," he said.

According to Burgio, the club resource center is still operating but there is no actual physical space for it now.

"We are currently looking for a new space," he said.

While Burgio was more than willing to give up some SA space, Generation editors and writers had to move their entire office from 114 Student Union to 142, a much smaller space previously used for storage.

Morgan Grant, editor in chief of Generation, said she was far from pleased with the switching of the offices.

"We have a large staff of about thirty people and we have to hold our meetings somewhere else because we won't all fit in the smaller office," she said.

Grant described the transition as "challenging," because it was difficult to work with the small space.

"The smaller room could have resulted in many conflicts, but we worked especially hard not to let that happen," she said.

Ballard said Generation's new location is temporary and they are set to move into a larger office over winter recess.

"I would like to say thank you to the Generation for putting up with the cramped quarters," Ballard said.

Meanwhile, in Generation's old space, officials in the Student Counseling Center say that moving into the Student Union has had a positive effect.

"Having our office in the Student Union has allowed us to have a better feel for the student life," said Sharon Mitchell, director of Counseling Services.

Ballard said Counseling Services had to move because of renovations and asbestos problems in their Ellicott offices.

Ballard added the switch is temporary and they are set to move back to Richmond Quad as soon as renovations are completed, but in the meantime, more students have been frequenting the center because of its more convenient location.

According to Mitchell, the transition from their office in Richmond to 114 Student Union wasn't very difficult because it was during the summer semester and the office wasn't that busy.

Mitchell said there has been one negative aspect of switching offices, since the office in the Student Union isn't designed to be a counseling center.

"The office in Richmond brought all the staff members together in one place," Mitchell said.

Although the Counseling Center is set to move back to Ellicott, Mitchell said she wishes their office could remain on the academic spine.

Mitchell suggested the possibility of combining Counseling Services with the Student Wellness Center on the second floor of the Student Union.

Ballard said Mitchell's idea was not out of the question.

"Anything could happen," Ballard said. "This is an ongoing process."

According to Ballard, there are still many changes set to take place in the Student Union. The health insurance office, parking office, and UB card office are all projects set for future dates.