Every campus building, except for the Student Center, will be closed on the weekends this summer. The 1312 S. Michigan building that houses the School of Audio and Music will not be open at all.
During the fall and spring semesters, most buildings were open on Saturdays until 6 p.m. but not on Sundays.
It’s not unusual for the college to restrict access on the weekends during summer. In summer 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic, the college’s building hours began at 7 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. All buildings were closed on the weekend.
The majority of summer classes are being held online this year. A Chronicle reporter recently visited the Student Center and 623 S. Wabash Ave. and encountered few students. Faculty also typically are not on campus in the summer.
Lambrini Lukidis, associate vice president of Strategic Communications and External Relations, said the process of determining building hours is set by the summer course schedule, co-curricular needs articulated by school directors and other campus needs requested by facilities and Student Affairs.
“We will extend building hours or open buildings when needed for special functions,” Lukidis. “We try to close buildings when usage is minimal.”
Lauren Nazarian, the Student Center Director, said the only building to be open on Saturdays will be the Student Center for students to socialize, study and “access rooms and resources at a time when they’re more readily available to students, staff and faculty.”
“We host a number of events throughout the summer, some of which take place on Saturdays,” Nazarian said. “In other cases, we may also need access to the building for furniture setup in advance of Monday events, like orientation, for example.”
Antonia Butka, president of the Student Programming Board and an engage leader, said she “really dislikes” the campus buildings not being open on Saturdays.
“I understand how costly it can be to have security and staff there, but it’s frustrating to not have a campus space available on the weekends,” said the senior acting and film and television double major. “For students taking summer classes, or even prepping for their fall classes, it’s inconvenient to not have anywhere to work or meet with other classmates.”
During the weekdays, most buildings are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In an email to the Chronicle, Lukidis said the college responded to specific requests from schools. For example, the 618 S. Michigan Ave. building will be open until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays due to the course schedule and needs requested by the School of Business and Entrepreneurship. The 1014 S. Michigan Ave. building will close at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. “based on anticipated usage and on the recommendation of the School of Audio and Music.”
Sunny Youm, a graduate student in music composition for the screen, uses the Career Center at the Student Center three times a week and is at 1014 S. Michigan Ave. once a week for projects and meetings. Youm said he doesn’t believe the weekend building closure will greatly affect students.
“Ideally, it would be better if we could open them so we could give more salaries to workers and also use facilities, like the gym, more,” Youm said. “I think it doesn’t greatly affect us since most of the students aren’t here in the first place. I think the most who would suffer are those who have a daily 9-5 during weekdays and therefore can only use facilities during the weekend.”
Senior acting major Nora Logan said they use the Fitness Center at the Student Center twice a week and will be unaffected by the only building staying open on Saturdays. But they wish that the 33 E. Ida B. Wells building could be open on the weekends.
“I think it’s okay, it’s also hard though because I was gonna do tutoring with my teachers in the ASL department, and they’re in the 33 E. building,” Logan said. “It’s kinda hard because I’m working and I can’t go in on a Saturday and see them there.”
Copy edited by Kaitlyn Mahan
Resumen en español
La mayoría de los edificios del campus estarán cerrados los fines de semana este verano, excepto el Student Center, que permanecerá abierto para eventos y uso estudiantil. La decisión se basa en la baja actividad en el campus y el horario de clases de verano, aunque pueden hacerse excepciones.
Algunos estudiantes están frustrados por las cierres, ya que limita el acceso a recursos. Otros creen que el impacto es mínimo, ya que la mayoría de los estudiantes no están en el campus.
Resumen en español escrito por Manuel Nocera
