At the Wildcat Den and Marketplace on Monday, hundreds of students examined displays of proposed building designs as well as pictures showing different ideas for future amenities for the University Center renovation plans.

Sessions to gather student input on the recently proposed plans were held in the Wildcat Den and in the Marketplace. Throughout the day, there were also smaller feedback meetings with ASNMU, the Student Leader Fellowship Program, members of other student organizations, residence hall leaders, and the Center for Student Enrichment.

Some of the proposed building designs included pictures showing different ideas for future amenities like open offices, informal collaboration areas, additional retail, food court and coffee shops, games and electronic entertainment, conference rooms, auditoriums, social spaces, dance rooms, art galleries and an IT help desk.

Students got to place stickers on the displays to vote on which of the facilities they would enjoy most. They were also asked to fill out written surveys to assess how the UC is used by most NMU
students today.

Kathy Richards, associate vice president of facilities engineering and planning, handed out the surveys while she explained the renovations to students.

“Our goal in renovating the University Center is to bring more students to the building, create more student traffic,” she said. “The goal of tonight is to find out from students what amenities they would like in the building, so that if we build it, they will come.”

The written survey asked 12 questions to determine how much the UC is used and by whom. It also inquired about the proposed amenities.

“It’s so that we get a feel for who they are—whether commuters or residence hall students, and then where they eat their lunch, where they hang out between classes, and what they feel is missing on campus, and what they want to be put into the project to enhance the student life on campus,” Richards said.

She and other members of an advisory group recently visited Wayne State and Eastern Michigan University in order to see what student centers at other colleges offer. She said they learned how a variety of spaces can meet a wider amount of student needs.

“That’s the question we’re asking: What’s something that’s missing on campus?” she said. “We’re trying to provide amenities that will enhance student life. Right now, there isn’t really a place for students to go after 10 o’clock at night.”