Campus Center Suite 3100, located on the third floor of the Campus Center, is home to UMass Boston’s Student Organizations and Centers, as well as some UMass Boston faculty and staff. This semester, the suite is making some changes to its operation.
In the past, UMass Boston students could enter the suite as long as it was open. All they had to do was sign in by tapping in with their Student ID, or telling their ID number to front desk staff, which is similar to how students enter The Wave or the Beacon Fitness Center. There was no limit on how long students could remain in the suite, aside from needing to wait for the suite to open and leave when it closed.
In an email sent out to UMass Boston students Friday, Jan. 19, Director of Student Activities Charles Henriques attributed the changes to Student Activities’ effort “to prioritize the safety and well-being of the students using the space and to continue to cultivate an environment of engagement, community, and belonging.” This email also details the following changes for Suite 3100:
Taking effect Monday, Jan. 22, students who want to use suite space, such as the tables or workspaces available, must make a reservation for the space they would like to use at the time they would like to use it. The reservation can last for up to two hours and will book out a certain number of seats depending on whether the reservation is for a table or workspace. The space allows for six people per “Huddle Table” and two people per “Work Station,” and students are not allowed to move furniture to try and accommodate more people at the space they reserved.
There are some exceptions to the reservation rule. Students are allowed to enter the suite to chat with leaders of centers, ask questions to staff working in the suite and to attend Student Center or club meetings and events.
While many believe it is too soon to truly know whether or not the suite change is a positive thing, UMass Boston students Emma Reynolds and Stephanie Donalds both reported a strong dislike for the change. The two students reserved one of the Huddle Tables so they could hold an executive board meeting for the Pokémon Club.
“If I wanted to study in a quiet place, I’d go to Healey,” said Reynolds. “I like being here because it’s got people I can socialize with, and it’s not as loud as the game room, especially as someone who gets overwhelmed easily.”
Donalds agreed, saying, “Now that I don’t have a center place to socialize with people, I feel very lost. I come here because there are people I know.”
The two also discussed the suite’s past, as it used to be a space for clubs to have their own cubicle of sorts before it became a spot to hold meetings and events. Reynolds and Donalds both believe the previous swap from club cubicles to club space was not beneficial for their club, and they believe this new change will potentially have a negative impact on how their club runs.
“It’s very obvious to me that the people who made this change have never spent any time in the room,” Reynolds concluded.
Front desk members have reported a decrease in the number of people using the suite this first week back. However, whether the attendance will truly decrease throughout the semester is not known.
Students can book a reservation in advance through the UMass Boston website by going to “Event Services” and clicking on the “For Student Organizations” tab, or they can make their reservation when they arrive at the suite by scanning the QR code available at the front desk. By entering their UMass Boston credentials, students are presented with a form to provide the date, time, location and “event name.” There does not appear to be a limit on how far out students can schedule these reservations, as the calendar lets students select any date until at least the end of semester.
Once the reservation is confirmed, a confirmation email will be sent with the finalized details. To check in for a reservation, students are required to present their Student ID and scan into the suite. It is unclear whether or not changes can be made to a reservation after it is booked or if a reservation can be canceled. The suite will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and closed on the weekend.
