Organizations and Students Caii for
Cate Center Updates
Kristen Gallagher, Contributing Writer
For the past semester and a
half, several students on campus have
brought the issue of the Cate Center’s
supposed outdated decor and ameni
ties to the forefront of student dis
cussion. Introduced by Zeenat Razvi
to Student Life Committee (SLC) in
late 2010, the Cate Center Redesign
proposal carries a price tag of almost
$40,000. Razvi has met extensively
with Facilities Services in partnership
with SLC and the Association of Mer
edith Commuters (AMC) to submit a
Student Activities Fee Budget pro
posal.
The budget proposed by AMC and
supported by SLC includes several
upfits of the student lounge area in
upstairs Park/Cate Center. Included
in the proposal is the introduction
of a student study area, a chalk and
whiteboard wall to facilitate discus
sion and group work, a designated
group meeting space, new lockers for
commuters, new paint, art contrib
uted by Meredith art majors, and the
reupholstering of the seating. SLC
has approached Dr. Martha Burpitt
and invited Interior Design Majors to
submit design and layout proposals.
These proposals will be discussed at
the Student Life Forum on April 4th.
I’ve approached several key
students involved with this process to
get a better sense of the reasoning be
hind the project. Razvi, the originator
of the idea, spoke with me about her
involvement.
KG: How is your organization (AMC)
involved in this process?
ZR: At the beginning of the year,
AMC identified its’ goals for the year.
and one of executive board members,
Christina Klimwakis, voiced her con
cerns about Cate Center and its current
state. We met with Sharon Campbell
in Facility Services, and came up with
a budget. We’ve pursued funding from
SAF and the Parent Board.
KG; How do you feel this project will
impact Meredith’s commuter students?
ZR: The student lounge is frequently
shown to potential students and visi
tors during camps tours. It is also used
by resident and commuter students
for variety of purposes including doing
homework, watching television and
campus programming, so an improve
ment in the feel and look of the area is
going to benefit a wide range of constit
uents within and external to Meredith
College.
I also spoke with Jade Rice, the
Chair of the Student Life Committee.
KG: As Student Life Committee Chair,
what can you tell me about how this
project will enrich Meredith and get
students more involved?
JR: Environments on campus influ
ence our productivity, overall attitude,
and encourage us to get involved. I
believe if we have a renovated area
that encourages positive change on our
campus - students will be more positive
about our campus as a whole.
KG: Do you feel that there should be a
push to encourage student responsibil
ity for keeping common spaces clean
if the student body is going to spend
money on revitalizing a
space?
JR: Absolutely. We are adults and need
to respect our surroundings. We should
feel a responsibility to our school and
15,250
fellow students to
keep the spaces
clean and welcom
ing. These com
mon spaces are
there for students
to enjoy - so help
them enjoy the
spaces and clean
up the little mess
you have made - it
won’t take long!
KG: Can you talk
about what SLC
does and why it
has taken up this
project?
JR: We (SLC) are
open to any student life issue, and we
want students to talk to us about their
thoughts. We are here to help with con
cerns, to help implementing ideas, and
to help answer questions. We’ve taken
up this project because the committee
has noticed the student concern for
it. We need a place that every student
can identify with and feel welcomed in.
The student center should be a place
where students WANT to be, and the
collaborative nature of this project will
help Meredith students understand
the value of other students’ work and
diligence.
Anna Beavon Gravely, exiting
Student Body President, also spoke
with me. She feels that “the proposed
changes will update the space and
allow the current students to have a
more active role in the decorations.
The Cate Center rejuvenation will give
the space life and ideally attract more
students. It is important for the space
to tell the story of the community.”
When asked about the timeline for the
project, she said “it is important to
note that this project needs to coin
cide with the Facility Services timeline
because our campus is used during the
summer for several different purposes,
so it is difficult to comment on the
timeline with certainty. The sooner
decisions are made the sooner action
IN THIS ISSUl
Mid-Level Budget Estimaies
1,600
13,200
Palfttirtg
I PossS^ New
Carpet
I Commuter
Locicers
I Lighting
Reuphotstering
Fumitwe
1,500 ■•.380
can be taken.”
Discussion on the project
will continue in the SLC Forum
and into next semester. However,
SLC, Student Government Associa
tion, and AMC have clearly laid out
concern and support for the project.
Many students look forward to seeing
changes: Wendy Zuluaga, ’12, notes
that “It’s a place where a lot of com
muters and residents eat, socialize,
and hold events, so it should be more
of a welcoming environment. It is
also frequently visited by high school
students who are considering Mere
dith as a potential college.” Elizabeth
Warren, ’12, feels similarly: “The
Cate Center is a place for the faculty,
staff, and students of Meredith Col
lege to connect and use available re
sources... It is the center of the social
community on campus where stu
dents, clubs, and organizations can
meet, dine, and relax.” Certainly, the
students and organizations involved
will be striving to defend their budget
in the midst of Meredith’s financial
climate and strategic plan.Thoughts
on the proposed Cate Center Rede
sign should be directed to SLC Vice
Chair Kristen Gallagher at gallagis®
email.meredith.edu or raised at the
Student Life Forum on April 4th at
5:30 pm in Belk Dining Hall.
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