Committee discusses WPU space

An organization dedicated to accommodating student groups in the overcrowded William Pitt… An organization dedicated to accommodating student groups in the overcrowded William Pitt Union met on Friday to discuss possible solutions to the space problem, which may include an overhaul of the application process.

The WPU Space Advisory Committee, a coalition between University administration and representatives of Pitt’s larger student organizations, discussed the types of space in the Union and how it can be best distributed.

“The way we’re allocating space now, is it appropriate?” Robert Houston of the Office of Student Affairs said. “Is it inappropriate?”

Under the current system, groups looking for space must fill out an application and turn it into the WPU manager. The process is basically first come, first serve. The problem with this system, some of the representatives said, is that groups reserve space and never use it.

“The easiest way to assign [space] is to monitor the effectiveness of the space used,” Black Action Society member Maria Smith said.

The discussion then shifted to the application process itself.

“People would have to put down what they want and justify why,” BAS adviser Michelle Scott Taylor said.

Houston suggested that instead of applying for space through forms, students could have “allocation interviews.” These interviews would take place before a committee made up of larger, influential groups like Student Government Board and Campus Women’s Organization.

These interviews would allow students to make their case, putting a human face to the otherwise anonymous forms.

“There should be some kind of appeal process if a group is denied space,” Smith said.

The next meeting of the WPU Space Committee will be open to the public, and will be held on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m., location to be determined.