The Undergraduate Students Association Council’s decision in 2006 to open up office space allocation was essential to the long-term vitality of student groups on campus.
Nevertheless, the fledgling Office Space Allocation Committee has already run into trouble. Some student groups have alleged that they were not properly informed about what they needed to do to retain their office space, something that might have easily happened in the midst of such a new process.
Now, USAC faces a conundrum. With a fixed amount of office space to distribute, they must either alienate “student advocacy groups” that were traditionally allocated space or they must arbitrarily punish new groups that played by the rules.
In this case, the Office Space Allocation Committee should probably have done more to reach out to the groups that had to reapply for space. Those groups that failed to apply should be given the benefit of the doubt and be considered in the current allocation process.
If the student government handles this process with more delicacy in the future, USAC proceedings should become an asset to student groups, instead of a liability.