As the fall semester prepared to kick into gear, so did plans to reclaim and rename student spaces.
The University of Idaho Commons Building became the new Idaho Student Union Building (ISUB) after pushes from both the current and past student body presidents and student government. Signage indicating it is the ISUB has yet to change, but the website already reflects the new name.
President of undergraduate student government, known as the Associated Students of University of Idaho, Jacob Lockhart said the change was approved by former UI President Chuck Staben and his leadership group.
The name change, first led this spring by former ASUI President Nicole Skinner, means UI will have a student union building central to campus rather than on the outskirts as it did with the Bruce Pitman Center. Past and present student leaders hope the change will turn a new leaf.
“We really wanted to pave the way for a place that all students could call their own (Student) Union Building, and The Commons seemed like a naturalfit,” Lockhart said.
He said it is not just a change in name, but a change in governance toward more student input.
“We resurrected the Idaho Student Union Board to ensure that the space within the ISUB is as student-focused as possible. This board is to be composed of predominantly students,” Lockhart said. “This gives us a powerful seat at the table, and I think it gives us autonomy over a space that should be formed by students.”
The name change began spring semester when Skinner and ASUI drafted an initiative for the change in lieu of pending construction on the Idaho Central Credit Union Arena construction. She said she felt students were often putting more into student spaces on campus than they were getting out of them.
“University of Idaho students used to have a SUB where the Bruce Pittman Center is now, and it used to be a very lively place where students could come together over commonalities and relax after class,” Skinner said. “Over the last few years, that was slowly taken away.”
The Idaho Commons houses countless student resources, organizations and gathering spots including the Office of Equity and Diversity, ASUI offices, Einstein Bros. Bagels and the ASUI Student Lounge. Skinner argues it is the perfect fit to be a SUB.
UI fourth-year student Nicole Wellington said the change makes sense, especially for new students.
“I feel like The Commons fits what people think a student union is. No one hangs out in the Pitman Center, but people hang out here,” she said.
Skinner said a lot of focus in the past has been on creating study space options for students on campus, but not on cultivating spaces where students can spend their free time. This change, she said, will mark a new focus on student-centric spaces.
“It’s the 21st century and we’re a large institution that has a very large, and great student body that deserves a great place to come together,” Skinner said.
Ellen Dennis can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @edennis37
Russell R.
Centrality will be a welcome change! Of note, however, is that the former commons was more easily accessible (both closer and does not necessitate walking up a big hill) for most Greek and off-campus students, although it offered few amenities expected of a student union building. I liked thinking of Downtown Moscow as our student union. :) Next step: a bowling alley