While students are enjoying spring break, the Student Union Memorial Center will be bustling as it undergoes renovations worth $1 million.
The Meal Plans Office, CatCard Office and post office will move from the second level of the SUMC down to the new first floor business center. Wells Fargo will move downstairs as well, to where the computer lab is currently. The Office of Student Computing Resources’ computer lab will move to the space that is currently the games room. The games room will remain, but in a smaller space.
Meanwhile, the current locations of Wells Fargo and the post office will be transformed into seating areas as of March 18, when construction is due to be completed.
New restaurants coming in August 2013 will occupy the places where the Meal Plans Office and CatCard Office currently reside.
The renovation will cost roughy $1 million, according to Todd Millay, Arizona student unions marketing manager. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on March 21 and on March 22 prize drawings will be held to give current CatCard holders a chance to win prizes, such as an autographed basketball.
“I think a lot of it is that a lot of people assume that the CatCard office and the meal plans office are one office anyways, so it kind of makes sense for us to be in the same area, and so it’s a one-stop shop,” said Amanda Percy, office supervisor for Arizona Student Unions, “I know that they wanted to create more seating on the main floor and more dining options, so we are freeing up the space.”
Ari Goldstein, a business sophomore, agreed that the business center is a good idea.
“They kind of go hand in hand, because you can attach your CatCard to your Wells Fargo account, so it’s good that they are both together,” Goldstein said. “I’m completely for that.”
Other students shared his enthusiasm and were also pleased to hear the news of more seating.
“There’s not a lot of seats during busy times,” said Alex Shozda, a physiology freshman.
As for the potential restaurants, none have been named yet, but there are some ideas floating around.
“They are out for bid,” Percy said. “I think one of them is hopefully going to be a sushi location; the other one is to-be-determined.”
