History of the Student Activities Center
In fall 2001, Student Council and Newcomb Hall staff began collaboratively developing a new concept for the shared student organization space on the first floor of Newcomb Hall (room 164). Concurrently, the University-wide Student Organizations and Programming Team (SOP) had initiated discussions about a central location for CIO services.
In spring 2002, these two concepts intersected and resulted in the Student Activities Center concept. In many ways, the Student Activities Center has become the linchpin that unites the two efforts.
During the 2001-02 Academic Year, Student Council members and Newcomb staff began casually discussing the future of room 164 on the first floor of Newcomb Hall. The Student Council President believed that the room could be used more effectively. The existing “cubicle city” configuration was meeting the needs of less than 10% of all recognized Student organizations at the University and many of the organizations were using their assigned cubicles for storage rather than workspace.
The Student Council President and Newcomb Hall Director convened a small focus group of student organization leaders in fall 2001 to test their instincts. A discussion with approximately 15 students turned up information that was consistent with their initial perceptions: The layout of the room was not conducive to group interaction and the student leaders believed a reconfiguration and modernization of the space to serve a broader audience was needed. The student focus group believed that a shift in philosophy for the space from assigned cubicles to multi-use shared resources would better serve the needs of student organizations.
Based on this conversation, a written survey was developed asking current CIO presidents to prioritize possible uses for the space. The survey was completed by 136 Presidents. The results of the survey were consistent with the beliefs of the focus group, placing a high priority on services and support that would meet the needs of all student organizations rather than focusing on space allocation to individual groups.
The primary focus of SOP efforts has been to provide specific services and support to enhance student organization programming at the University of Virginia. It has become clear that, to ensure that students will embrace and use the new and reconfigured resources, the services and resources must be coordinated from an accessible, comfortable, and student-oriented central location.
SOP efforts aim to create a culture where student organizations remain strong independent entities but appreciate and embrace the value of actively seeking assistance and advice, and of drawing on the tremendous resources of the University. One of our strongest resources is our students' experiences. Therefore, the Leadership Consultant Program was established in 2004. Leadership Consultants are student employees trained to provide consulting services that include general walk-in consulting for quick information or problem-solving and large-scale project-based consulting that is tailored specifically to organizational needs.
The Student Activities Center is located on the first floor of Newcomb Hall in room 164. It serves as a home base for student organization members, with a team of full-time and student staff whose sole purpose is supporting student organization programming at the University of Virginia. In each year since it's inception, over 15,000 students have visited the SAC and used it's resources.
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