At the end of the day, after hours immersed in academic lectures and discussion sections, student groups set aside their textbooks and homework to come out for their nightly practices.
The underground concrete parking lots echo with blasts of hip-hop music as dance groups rehearse their repertoires. Other nights, students dance to salsa music next to the Bruin Bear statue.
But soon, student groups such as these will have an additional practice space open to them for the first time: the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion.
Starting winter quarter, UCLA Recreation plans to open up parts of the facility for student group use, said Mick Deluca, executive director of recreation and campus life at UCLA Recreation.
Student organizations will be able to use meeting rooms and floor space within Pauley Pavilion free of charge for practices and meetings until 1 a.m. on nights that have no games scheduled, Deluca said.
Areas of the concourse, the space between Pauley’s front doors and the curtained entrances to the arena, and multi-purpose rooms will be available for student groups to reserve for use.
UCLA Recreation officials, who are spearheading the initiative, said they decided to keep Pauley open later for student groups because they noticed a space crunch on campus.
“We know that (UCLA is) limited on space for the growing and unmet needs of student groups and activities,” Deluca said.
Students from multiple performance groups said they tend to have trouble booking rooms in the John Wooden Center and must use the underground parking lots for rehearsal.
The parking lots are convenient because they offer a large space where students can stay late without being forced to leave, said Hannah Coombs, fourth-year communication studies student and administrative director of Samahang Modern, a dance group on campus. But the garages also have car exhaust fumes and lack mirrors, which are useful for practice, Coombs added.
The lots have dirty concrete floors that are rough on dancers’ knees, said Tasha Nghiem, second-year psychobiology student and external director of Vietnamese Student Union Modern, another campus dance group.
“We were definitely interested (in Pauley Pavilion) ““ it’s a lot cleaner and a lot nicer,” Nghiem said. “We wouldn’t have to be worrying about cars passing by every five minutes.”
Kenn Heller, associate director of innovation initiatives at UCLA Recreation, said it is unusual for a stadium like Pauley Pavilion to be available for student use, since such buildings are often designated solely for collegiate athletics.
But he said opening up the facility for students to use is logical, since student fees helped fund the original construction of the arena nearly 50 years ago.
“At the core, (Pauley Pavilion) has always been a student venue,” he said.
It will cost $83,000 a year to maintain and staff Pauley Pavilion during the extra time the building is open, Deluca said.
Another $39,000 will be used on a one-time basis to purchase equipment, including dance floors, mirrors, tables and chairs for student groups to use, Deluca added.
Funds for the initiative will come from the $972 yearly student services fee each UCLA student pays, said Meghedi Babakhanian, chair of the Student Fee Advisory Committee, which advises the chancellor on how to allocate student fees.
The committee approved UCLA Recreation’s funding request and forwarded it to the chancellor, who then authorized the request and granted two years of temporary funding to keep Pauley Pavilion open later for student groups.
Still, some students such as Devon Vaccarino, third-year philosophy and psychology student and president of the Salsa Society, said they would not choose to use the pavilion for practice.
The Salsa Society, which has been dancing by the Bruin Bear for more than seven years, relies on dancing at its central outdoor location in Bruin Plaza as its only form of advertising. The group has an open-to-all philosophy, meaning anyone can join at any time ““ which is better communicated and implemented by dancing out in the open, Vaccarino said.
The group’s Bruin Bear location also makes it more accessible, friendly and easygoing for students to join in, Vaccarino added.
When temporary funding for keeping Pauley open for student groups ends in two years, UCLA Recreation officials will evaluate the initiative and decide whether or not to set aside permanent funding to keep Pauley Pavilion open late for student groups, Deluca said.
Email Taketa at ktaketa@media.ucla.edu.