Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 12, 2005 SOU work makes life less certain By Bill Choy Ashland Daily Tidings An upcoming renovation in the Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University has started a domino effect of moving school organizations and students to other locations amid concerns that school officials are not taking into consideration their needs. Last week, a group of five female students living in Baker Hall were informed they had to move by the weekend, with the space to be occupied by four student-run programs currently located in the basement of the SU. After concerns from Baker Hall residents and students from the Women's Resource Center and the Queer Resource Center, SOU administrators decided the five women did not have to move. The WRC and QRC were offered smaller accommodations on the third floor of the SU, which they said did not meet their needs dealing with sensitive situations such as sexual assault and coming out of the closet. They believe the administration has been indifferent to their needs and has not communicated properly with them about the changes. School officials contend they have done everything in their power to accommodate student and school organization needs. A decision on where to move the other two groups, the Nontraditional Resource Center, and the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group has not been made. Baker Hall Lynnea Amend, an SOU senior and office and staff manager of the WRC, and Phaedra Harris, an SOU junior and a student advisor at the QRC, said they were not consulted about the move to Baker Hall. They said it would have been inappropriate because the residence halls are places where issues they deal with, such as sexual assault, have occurred. Amend said students seeking help would not have the privacy they have in the SU basement. Harris said many students coming to their office are still not open about their homosexuality and may be uncomfortable going to a place where they are visible and don't feel safe. They brought their concerns to the administration, who decided last Friday not to move the two groups into Baker. Diane Brimmer, vice president for student affairs at SOU, said the Baker location was chosen after "thoughtful consideration" from each of the directors of the student organizations. She said after the concerns were raised, the plans to move these groups to Baker were scrapped. "Student and staff concerns have been taken into consideration each time we have offered alternative locations," Brimmer said. Construction at the SU is scheduled to begin late next month, at a cost of $6.9 million. Brimmer said it should be completed at the end of November, with groups such as the WRC and QRC moving into their new quarters in time for winter term 2006. Not enough space The QRC and WRC have been offered two separate rooms on the third floor of the SU. Harris and Amend said the rooms, which they estimate are 12 feet by 12 feet each, are way too small for two groups that deal with safety and support issues. Amend said there are three rooms in the current WRC location, which gives them enough room for staff and volunteers, and space for privacy when someone comes in that has been violently or sexually abused. "We have special needs and they are not being considered," Amend said. "It feels like we're constantly fighting to get our voices heard." "It has been apparent that SOU's efforts to prevent violence on campus are superficial as they simultaneously disregard the victims themselves and the work of students and staff who directly support them," she added. While the new space would be temporary, Harris worries what will happen to students who do not seek the QRC and WRC because they are not comfortable with the temporary space. "It's very unwelcoming," she said. "If we're unable to help that's a large number of people not to get advocacy." Harris and Amend said they originally proposed to use one of the large conference rooms of the third floor and separate the two organizations by using cubicle walls. They said that idea was rejected by the administration. Brimmer said the discussion about office location is still open and concerns have been taken into consideration. Working together Deltra Ferguson, coordinator of the WRC, said while she thinks there has been a lack of communication, she believes that there was no ill intent. Ferguson said she believes that the administration is trying to meet the needs of the WRC and the other groups and to work with her to try to find a solution that's best for both parties. Brimmer agreed that it was vital to find a workable solution. "A college union is by its very nature is a place where many individuals and groups come together for community and sharing," she said. "It is important to come to an agreement so that the Stevenson Union can more fully realize its role as a meeting place and in providing programs that foster personal and professional development, citizenship, and social responsibility." Other organizations being moved by the renovations include student publicity, the Siskiyou newspaper, the KSCOC radio station and the State of Oregon Employment Center. No decision has been finalized on the temporary location for these groups, Brimmer said. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Women's & Men's Slippers Ceramic Piggy Banks heloc libor rate Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weightloss Products Memory Foam Mattress afsa studentloans home equity loans teleconferencing W2 Forms fasa student loans Matchmaking & Dating Scripts African Safari Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation wholesale diamonds Currancy Exchange web conferencing Online Casinos Community Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams