Student lounge or ASG clubhouse?
Apparently the student lounge was renovated over the summer. It features some very comfortable faux leather furniture, tables for studying or doing homework as well as a ping-pong table to unwind between classes.
Does all that sound like a great way to relax? It certainly did to some of my cohorts from the newspaper and me. We were in dire need of a new environment to have a conversation about some creative options for the paper. Spending hours upon hours in the same office gets tedious and when it comes to generating new ideas sometimes a change of scenery is all that is needed.
We entered the student lounge to some very friendly members of the ASG hanging out around the large table in the center of the room. After “hello’s” were exchanged, we told them we were with the newspaper and simply needed a place to talk for a couple minutes. We left them to their ‘dance party’ while we got comfortable and began talking.
About five minutes into the conversation, however, someone came out of the ASG offices and approached us. In a very serious manner she asked if she could help us. You know what I mean by serious manner? She said it as though we had been staring at her the last five minutes.
Once again we informed her that no, we did not need any help but were simply having a conversation and we were all members of the newspaper staff.
At this point the student lounge turned into a party getting broken up by police all too soon into the night. “I am going to need to see all of your ASB stamps.”
Well shoot, see half of us didn’t have our school gear with wallets that included our school IDs. Some of us have those fun ASB stamps on our cards but we simply were not prepared to show them, as for the others well lets just say they came up with better things to spend the $10 on.
So we were promptly kicked out. Yes, we were not in accordance to the policies of the room but surveying it as I left and only seeing four ASG members in the lounge at noon it left some questions unanswered.
Is this room truly a student lounge?
If we students paid for the renovations to the room through purchasing ASB stamps, why are there never any students in the lounge?
Were we paying not for a student lounge but an ASG clubhouse?
What the heck is the benefit of buying an ASB stamp anyways? Other than the use of those wonderful, wonderful couches.
I am not saying we were right, I am not even saying that the policy should be changed to allow students without an ASB stamp to use the student lounge.
I am simply saying that if the student lounge is indeed intended for students, if an ASB stamp is indeed beneficial, why are so few students aware of either?