When one thinks of crowded work environments, space ships, submarines and the floor of the New York Stock Exchange come to mind. One space that people would not think of is the office of the University of Calgary Graduate Students’ Association.
At the Board of Governor’s meeting Dec. 5, the GSA requested additional office space. This came in light of the cramped quarters that currently comprise the GSA’s offices.
“The inspector that came to the university said that we already were at capacity and going overflow in our front office alone,” said GSA president Rithesh Ram. “To reduce the traffic, certain people aren’t allowed to gain access through the office to any of our other offices anymore.”
The GSA office and the Last Defence, the graduate students’ lounge, are on the third floor of the MacEwan Student Centre. The three room office now holds 15 people.
The additional space requested could come in the form of land on west campus where the GSA could build an income generating venue, or as space in the MacKimmie Library tower once it is empty. The library’s contents will be separated between the Taylor Family Digital Library and a high density library by Spy Hill.
“We know that in the university itself there are many groups on campus that need and require more space,” said Ram. “We’re another one of those groups. We’re not saying that we’re more important than any of them but we just want to be considered in that pool. Space is more important as opposed to what it looks like and where it is.”
Ram added that after the meeting he was approached by several board members who agreed the issue needed to be addressed.
The GSA expects to hear a response to their request at the next BOG meeting.