“The Hive”, a club space located beside Stör, will be getting a much-needed renovation next summer to increase space and functionality for the 292 clubs that use it. Consultations with U of C clubs are currently underway to ensure the upgrades meet their needs.
Quality Money will fund the renovation. The proposal was brought forward by last year’s Students’ Union vice-president student life Matt Diteljan and vice-president operations and finance Patrick Straw.
The Stör renovations that occurred this past summer took some of the space from “The Hive.”
Current SU vice-president student life Hayley Wade said over 75 per cent of clubs are anticipated to be consulted prior to the renovations.
“The proposal was approved for almost $38,000 for the renovation. We are now in the process of consulting students on what they would like to see done with that space,” said Wade. “We will be going forward with construction this summer.”
She said the improvements will include increased storage and more room for clubs to meet.
“It really depends on what students want to see done. We are in the process of sending out a survey as well as using focus groups to find out exactly what will make that space better for clubs,” said Wade. “We are really excited to hear what clubs have to say, and we are excited to gather all of their feedback.”
Second-year mechanical engineering student and vice-president promotions of the Ski Club Simon Butt-Vallieres said he is excited about the renovations.
“I can’t wait to see it renovated. It will definitely be a great thing because I spend a lot of time in [there],” said Butt-Valliers.
He said the major issue with club space is sharing tiny offices. He also expressed issues with Internet connections.
“It’s sometimes a hassle for space,” said Butt-Vallieres. “If we didn’t have so many clubs in one office it would make things way better.”
Fourth-year kinesiology student and vice-president administration of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship club Marina Rofaeil said club space needs upgrades.
“It does serve its purpose right now, but it’s outdated for sure. It sometimes gets really cramped and it can be hard to organize,” said Rofaeil.
She said many clubs are not given access to private offices, which can be frustrating.
“It’s needed. I think more offices would be nice. Not all clubs got a chance to have an office — it would be good for all clubs to have that opportunity,” she said.