Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

MacArthur improves Student Union

The crack of billiard balls and clacking of ping-pong paddles blends with the chatter of the television and students lounging in The Burrow.

The MacArthur Campus’s student union, after a semester riddled with hurricane induced delays, opens in the spring of 2005 with new features and vast improvements. Thanks to the work that took place over winter break, the game lounge now features a pool table and a new ping-pong table. The TV lounge, which was recently upgraded, now has cable and the bookstore has just recently moved in.

Seth Fishman, assistant director of Student Life and Recreation, worked with Student Affairs and Student Government to iron out the problems. Fishman said, “The pool table was destroyed in a warehouse during Hurricane Charley. The next pool table was at another warehouse en route to our campus when that got damaged in Hurricane Jeanne that hit Florida. So we’ve been waiting a long time for that, but we can’t control nature.”

Next came the cable TV problems; “The guy who handled our contract with Adelphia quit and took all his paperwork with him so Adelphia didn’t even know about our cable situation until persistence on behalf of Student Affairs and Student Government.”

The problems have been solved and The Burrow is proud to sport its new additions, such as the bookstore. The bookstore, which was previously located in the first-floor hallway of the Student Resources building, is now situated behind the games lounge.

Fishman credited the bookstore, managed and furbished by Barnes & Noble, with contributing to the increase in The Burrow’s traffic which accommodates approximately 500 students per week, “Our traffic has greatly increased this semester. The main reason would be the addition of the bookstore now in The Burrow, many students who never knew about The Burrow came through and have returned on their own to grab a bite to eat (at C-Store, the convenience store located in the middle of The Burrow) or hang out between classes.”

Students also continue to utilize The Burrow’s big-screen television, now for cable as well as for club events, such as watching movies. “The Anime-niacs (MacArthur’s Anime Club), the College Democrats, and the MacArthur Film Critics all have some upcoming screenings,” said Fishman.

Fishman added that students are encouraged to arrange meetings and events in The Burrow. “There is an event calendar that comes out every week that any student can pick up in The Burrow. On any given week there are five to fifteen events, club meetings, and so forth in there. We are in the midst of creating a club corner; a collaboration between the InterClub Council Director, Jared Velez, and myself, to provide useful space for clubs to work on projects and activities.”

Other upcoming events for The Burrow include a ping-pong tournament in February and the Career Fair in March.

Student Government offices are also located in The Burrow, which makes Owl TV’s Josh Tabor happy. “The old Owl TV offices used to be kept in a small portion of the Student Government office. I no longer have to fight for space with the copy machine.”

Students working in The Burrow were proud of their efforts in improving the student union. Josh Winikoff had worked on the assembly of the ping-pong table, “I’m like the mechanic around here, I build everything. Yeah, everybody’s using it; it’s nice to see that it is something that is used.”

Angie Vyas, Activity Center Monitor, added, “The Burrow has morphed into a fun hangout – the cable TV, bookstore, and C-Store have brought more people out to de-stress and relax. The best part about The Burrow, though, has just got to be interacting with everybody from the campus while enjoying the recreational amenities of foosball, ping-pong, air hockey, and pool.”

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

Do you have something to say? Submit your comments below
All UNIVERSITY PRESS Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *