Whether you’re new to campus this semester or been coming here for a whole year, the University Student Union (USU) has several improvements and upgrades for you!
“We want students to see and be educated about where their student fees are going, how they’re spent, and what we are doing to keep up to date and on the forefront of leading facility practices,” said Associate Director of Facility Operations Arnecia Bryant.
The east and west second-floor restrooms were refurbished over summer, with re-grouted floors and painted walls. The ASI facility services department is currently in the process of replacing all current hand-dryers with better models to ensure bacteria containment and boost sustainability practices as well.
You may have also noticed new furniture on the West Patio. The previous white, plastic outdoor furniture was replaced with new chairs and tables—which are strong and consistent with all other outside areas in the USU.
“This is a fairly old building, so we are breaking down sections of it and transforming the foundation so that it’s running smoothly and maintained as needed,” said Facility Maintenance Technician John Jost. “Once we can make the foundation solid, we can move towards further enhancements.”
One such enhancement is our solar-paneled umbrellas. You can now charge your phones and electronic devices as you lounge on the Southwest and Southeast Terraces. ASI partnered with ZON Technology founder and LBSU alumnae Sarah Akin to acquire 11 solar-paneled patio umbrellas for student needs.
In addition to this, five of the USU meeting rooms have been converted into smart rooms—Rooms 202 and 204 in the West Wing, and Rooms 305, 306 and 307 on the third floor. Projector screens have been replaced with wall monitors and smart equipment.
“We don’t just want to keep this building running by its 1986 standards; we want to take it into 2017, 2018 and beyond,” said John.
While these improvements are major, Facility Services are always performing maintenance on the building as needed and moving towards more sustainable practices. For a full map of the USU, visit www.asicsulb.org/usu.
