The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, April 28, 1995 Page: 9 of 20
twenty pages : ill. ; page 19 x 15 in.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
NEWS FEATURE
THE RICE THRESHER FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1995 9
by Christof Spieler
Willy's Pub, which was gutted In a fire
on April 6, will be rebuilt over the sum-
mer in a bigger form. The plans were agreed upon
by administration officials, students and the architectural firm
of Gensler and Associates only two weeks after the fire.
According to Vice President for Student Affairs Zenaido
Camacho, the building process has started and construction
will be underway within weeks.
"I am determined to have it up and running by Orientation
Week," he said, noting that this represents a very fast
time frame.
The project will be funded by a combination of money
previously allocated for renovations and the insurance settle-
ment for the fire. Camacho said that since detailed plans had
not been prepared and the settlement is not complete, he did
not know how much the project would cost.
In their overall outline, the final" plans are quite similar to
one of the two proposals presented at an open meeting last
week. Several changes, though, reflect student concerns. The
bar was moved and enlarged to improve visibility, make the
bar more prominent and reduce conges-
tion at a doorway.
The doorway itself was
moved to make maintaining
security easier. The student
organizations workroom was
also rearranged.
Some student concerns re-
main, though. Decor, for ex-
ample, is still undetermined.
asTaes
Cooler
VEN
MAC
Stairway
to
Career
Services
Pool tables
24-hour access
ends here
Bookstore
■ou .
Sammy's
storage
i
Stairway to Sammy's
CONFERENCE ROOMS and,
LOUNGES, much like the rooms in
the Ley Student Center, are intended
largely for student organizations. The
three rooms shown have since been
changed to two. larger rooms.
"If they end up carpeting the whole area
and making it look like the Miner Lounge,
what's the point?" Will Rice junior David
Rhodes said. "I mean, if they served beer
in the Miner Lounge, it still wouldn't be a
pub."
The plans
WILLY'S PUB is increased
dramatically in size. Among its
features:
The curved shape of the bar was
a compromise; administrators
wanted an inconspicuous bar
along the back wall. Pub
bartenders wanted to be able
to observe the entire
establishment.
A television lounge is one of
the more controversial
features. For some, it's a
dilution of Willy's
atmosphere. For others, it's
a welcome addition.
Booth seating appeared on
the less popular of the two
proposals but received
enough positive feedback
to be included on the final
plan.
This STORAGE was
initially left out of the plan;
Student Center manage-
ment, though, said they
needed it to replace space
they had in the old
basement for storing
folding tables, supplies
and the like.
The BACK DOOR (leading to the
back stairway, facing Herring Hall) is
equipped with a cardreader so the
hallway and Student Organizations
Workroom can have 24-hour access.
The STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS WORKROOM is designed as a
communal space for student organizations of all sizes. Included:
A central workspace for informal meetings, lounging and doing work
includes tables and chairs, a large wipeboard and two storage closets.
Four small offices for individual clubs
o 3*-
A workroom for making banners and other messier activities includes
space for supplies, lockers for individual clubs and two more storage
closets.
Club workroom: a small victory by students
by Christof Spieler
One day last fall, as I passed Academic
Advising, I took a look in and thought, "This
wouiu be a perfect space for student organi-
zations." It was the beginning of an unlikely
series of events which will soon find that idea
taking chaoe in what was once Willy's Pub.
I first became aware of the impending
basement renovations last fall as a member
of the Student Center Advisory Board (SCAB),
a relatively new group designed to give stu-
dent input in the operation of the Student
Center. Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Bob Sanborn had compiled a report on other
student centers, and one of the ideas which
struck me was the workroom.
The idea is this: a large, flexible room for
all student organizations, from small clubs to
the large, blanket tax organizations like the
SA and Thresher. It would be a space for
students, one where they wouldn't have to
battle professional organizations or alumni
functions for space, where the walls were not
sacred and untouchable.
I mentioned the idea at meetings with the
architects brought in to redesign the Student
Center, and other clubs, many desperate for
office and storage space, soon joined me in
calling for it.
Still, I wasn't very hope-
ful. We were playing space
politics, and on this cam-
pus, those can get nasty
out, we were delighted and rather surprised to
see that a workroom was shown in the base-
ment in the first stage, and Academic Advising
was shown as moving out later on to make
room for student organizations.
All looked good. I wasn't sure that the
architects had the right idea
We wanted a space for ~ r!nde/'ngf *howed a 'oom
filled with elaborate and im-
maculately finished "work sta-
student organizations,
Gust ask the space sciences 0ne where they wouldn't tions" manned by a bunch of
department). The space we
were coveting was occupied
by Academic Advising, and
they would have the power.
The architects, though,
were told to consider stu-
dent priorities, and the stu-
dents represented seemed
to like the idea. "Student
organizations space" ended
up first on the list of priori-
ties for the renovation.
When the plans came
have to battle profes-
sional organizations or
alumni functions for
space, where the walls
w6^e not sagged and
untouchable. We got it
because students spoke
up and somebody was
listening.
figures wearing bow ties — but
we had the space ...
Sort of. This didn't mean
that the renovation would ac-
tually happen, or that it would
look that way when carried out.
So we waited.
Meanwhile, the MOB was
moving out. Back at SCAB, I
was on the Renovations Com-
mittee, and, concluding that
no renovations would start
soon, we came up with a pro-
posal for a temporary use of the space. SCAB
members Scott Ruthfield and Maryana
Iskander (who would later mention the pro-
posal on her campaign posters) made some
calls and drafted a formal proposal to turn the
space into a temporary workroom, putting
tables, chairs and supplies in the central
space and using the smaller rooms for stor-
age and offices. From what I hear, the pro-
posal was well-received by administrators.
Then, one Thursday morning, the Pub
burned, and the architects came back. Now,
barely three weeks later, we have the final
plans. And we have the workroom. It's not
everything we wanted, of course; it's hidden
away and rather far from the other student
organizations in the building. For those clubs
which use it,,, though, it should be great.
We've got the student space we wanted, and
we got it because student's spoke up for it.
Christof Spieler is a Sid Richardson College
sophomore, Thresher features editor and mem-
ber of the Student Center Advisory Board.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Klein, Charles & Rao, Vivek. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, April 28, 1995, newspaper, April 28, 1995; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth246512/m1/9/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.