The new business center in the UA Student Union Memorial Center had its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday morning.
The center is on the first floor of the Student Union and includes the United States Post Office, CatCard office, the CatCash office and the meal plans office. All four of those services were originally on the second floor of the student union but have been moved into the center. The Wells Fargo bank is now on the first floor as well, directly across from the business center.
“I think the new business center is a great new centralized point for all our students, their parents to come and kind of one-stop shop all their business needs that they might have at the university,” said Todd Millay, marketing and communications manager for student affairs marketing. “That would be the intent for all of this being combined together.”
The services housed in the business center were moved to “integrate them more closely than they have been,” said Joel Hauff, interim director for Arizona Student Unions.
“So the business center here in the cellar of the student union, we brought these services downstairs here … to be able to provide a common place for students who need card services, banking services, to be able to do stuff at the post office,” Hauff said. “and also because they are destination points, they are places that people are going to go to, whether it is on the main floor, the basement or even on the roof.”
The empty space on the second floor of the union, where the post office used to be, will be turned into more seating for the food court, Millay said. The expanded seating area is expected to be completed this fall.
The former offices of CatCard, CatCash, meal plans and Wells Fargo bank will be converted into new dining facilities, according to Millay. However, at this point, the eating establishments that are moving are unknown.
There is a free raffle to go along with the grand opening of the business center. The raffle will end this Friday. Students have the chance to win an iPad Mini or an autographed basketball by UA men’s basketball coach Sean Miller, Millay said.
The business center will help the UA better serve student needs, said Mark Barton, CatCard director and bursar.
“Most of the work we [CatCard office] do is with the meal plan office or Wells Fargo, getting students set up when they first get here,” Barton said. “More so than us, it is going to improve the experience for the student and so we are excited about that. And it is a nice new space, plenty of room so students aren’t out in the hallway, it is going to create a wonderful experience for them.”
