Editorial: Students Have no Say

Plans are in the works for the Hartman Union Building, otherwise known as the HUB, to incorporate more fitness areas for students to utilize into the south section, redesigning the look of the HUB as a whole.What this means is that the athletic, muscle building, gotta-look-good-for-that-summer-bathing-suit exercise aficionados who can’t pump iron and run tread down at the P.E. Center will inundate the HUB while the rest of us who like to play pool, foosball, and work in a quiet, segregated Computer Cluster away from the hustle-bustle of student traffic will have to find our kicks elsewhere.That elsewhere could be a bar, where a pool table, foosball table, and dart board are staple recreational tools. The non-rented equipment needed for these games does not denote a lack of use of the room – simply the lack of attention to poor quality equipment and lack of a varied gaming. We used to have video games and dart boards; now we have warped pools table and three broken cue sticks in a room used as a storage area for wrestling mats.That elsewhere could also be the confines of a forced triple in a Residence Hall which unintentionally reduces the ‘community’ atmosphere that Plymouth State works so hard to establish in future enrolling prospects. There are many students on campus who choose not to go back to their dorms because of their living situation. So they stay on campus in the HUB – not to workout, but to keep from getting worked up over dramatic roommates or cramped quarters. Residence Halls have pool tables and computers of their own, so the devices are far spread. But they are not in the Student Apartments, nor are they in the off-campus apartments. What are these college students who don’t choose to keep fit 24-7 supposed to do on their off time, without the diverse recreation the HUB offers now? Drink?Whether or not the HUB is paying for the reconstruction all on their own, there are far better things to spend money on than creating more workout space for a small percentage of students. Plymouth is a 4,000 student strong campus – some of whose students are crammed like sardines into a forced triple. Maybe a new Residence Hall would have solved the problem. And the over 70 student organizations, again, crammed liked sardines into small office threeways or lockers, could use some more space to promote themselves and the interests of their organizations. Instead, we’ve opted to promote the interests of a small percentage of students on campus while the rest of us have to make way for fitness membership.Nevermind the fact that the aerobics room could have incorporated more than just aerobics. Nevermind the fact that maybe its just the age-old equipment in the cardio-center that pushes people to the weight room. Nevermind the fact that there is a whole facility across the bridge just dedicated to the physical education and physical training the HUB is trying to push back across the river.In recent months, the HUB has been host to Forums for students ranging from smoking policies, to drinking policies, and from racial issues to community issues. Yet the HUB had no Forum of its own to discuss the changes – and even if there was one, it was poorly advertised, and probably, like some of the other forums, poorly attended. How can changes be made to a building that epitomizes student community when there was no student community there to voice their opinions about making the changes?If more people want to work-out, there are streets to run on, 30-racks to lift, and a jazzercise down on Main Street. Leave the Student Union Building to students with more academic pursuits.