State of your Union

Not only is it impossible to see UCLA students bowling in
Ackerman Student Union today, but seeing students mix and mingle
among the union’s hair salons and post offices is a rare
moment, too.

“There’s nothing to do here except eat,” said
second-year political science student Glen Chen, who picks Puzzles
over Ackerman when it comes to choosing a spot to meet up with
friends.

In the 1960s, Ackerman ““ complete with bowling alley and
ping-pong room ““ was the epitome of a college recreation
hall. But, over the years this symbol of socializing has succumbed
to retail stores and services, as the Associated Students of UCLA
have had to emphasize profit over recreation.

“We’ve struggled over the years to find a balance
between making money and providing student services,” said
Student Union Director Jerry Mann. “If you’ve got open
space, what’s the victory?”

Because ASUCLA depends heavily on the retail stores and services
for the majority of its profit, the existence of these services
““ which some say make Ackerman more like a place to run
errands ““ is essential for the financial well-being of the
union.

“There’s no life here in the building,” Mann
said. “We’re still providing services to students, yet
from a student union perspective, it’s not rich at
all.”

The rarity of seeing student programs and activities is also due
to lack of space in the union, Mann said. Though UCLA has one of
the largest student unions in the country, the enormous student
population causes Ackerman to be cramped.

Third-year electrical engineering student Allen Edwards believes
overcrowding is the main reason he avoids spending time at the
union.

“There’s too many people to be casual enough to be a
regular hangout,” he said.

In response to their own growing student populations, UC Irvine,
Davis and Riverside have recently passed a fee referendum to expand
their student unions.

At UC Davis, a portion of the fee increase will go toward
rebuilding the coffee house in Memorial Student Union and building
a new community center to hold various student programs, said Alice
Hannam, director of Memorial Student Union services.

Unlike other universities, whose student fees reach triple-digit
figures, UCLA students only pay $7.50 per quarter in student union
fees.

But, a raise in fees may be the only way to expand the space of
the Student Union. The size of Kerckhoff Hall and Ackerman was
sufficient to support the student population in the 1960s but, as
UCLA’s enrollment increased later on, sufficient space in
Ackerman decreased.

ASUCLA thus finds itself in a quandary. To appease the
students’ social needs, Ackerman could be expanded. Such a
proposal was suggested in early drafts of the Student Union
Strategic Initiative, a set of ideas designed to make Ackerman more
student friendly. But, in order to do that, student union fees
would have likely been increased from $7.50 to about $60
annually.

As a result, ASUCLA’s board of directors rejected in
November the Ackerman expansion plan, which would have added an
additional 35,000 square feet to the union.

Expanding Ackerman would have added additional meeting rooms and
study spaces.

Other ideas in the initiative, including the possibility of an
on-campus pub, are still under consideration.

At other schools, students said their student center is the
hubbub of activity.

“People just hang out there and chit chat over a cup of
coffee or something,” said Hui Yan Wong, a second-year
neurobiology student at UC Davis. “There’s Freeborn, a
concert stage where people come here to perform.”

Notable entertainers who have performed in the past include
Pink, Fuel and Sum41, Wong said.

At UC San Diego, the Price Center serves as the student union,
and as the central meeting place for student activities.

“It’s definitely a hang-out place,” said Sonal
Gupta, a third-year management science student at UC San Diego.

Gupta said when her professor was illustrating a game concept
theory in her international relations class, he asked everyone to
think of a place to meet. Every student answered, “the Price
Center.”

But here at Ackerman Student Union, with the exception of the
X-cape arcade, students reiterate again and again that
there’s nothing to do.

“There’s a little arcade crew. I’m not
necessarily a part of them, but they do exist,” Edwards
said.

Other students echo the sentiment that X-cape doesn’t
satisfy the needs of all.

“There’s video games and pool, but we’re not
really into that,” said Cam Truong, a second-year graduate
student in biomedical engineering.

Truong added that she would be in favor of the controversial pub
in Ackerman because it offers more opportunities for students to
socialize.

The possibility of a pub in the Cooperage is still under debate
by various student groups.

“Personally, I think the pub is the plan that will be
improving the union the most,” said Randy Hall, chairman of
the board of directors.

The board visited student unions of several universities,
including UC Irvine and Arizona University, this past year in order
to get some fresh ideas on how to improve Ackerman.

Hall said he was impressed with California State University
Fullerton’s study lounges, where students could check out
CDs.

By implementing the components of the initiative, Hall hopes
Ackerman will become more personable to students.

“As a student at UCLA, at such a big school, I can be
intimidated by some of the places on campus,” Hall said.

“We don’t ever want students to be intimidated by
Ackerman and Kerckhoff. The more we can get that message across,
the better.”