The opening of the new University Center Complex (UCC) has generated many reactions from students, both positive and negative. Of course, the addition of a new campus space will inevitably have an impact on student life. In order to hear directly from students, The Stute asked the Stevens community to share their thoughts and opinions on the UCC and the residential towers via The Stute’s Instagram. The subsequent responses were mixed, with a majority of respondents critical of choices made by Stevens in both the construction and functionality of the facility.
A student living in the residential towers commented that “South Tower needs another elevator.” Currently, the South Tower of the UCC contains 21 floors of residential living space with only two elevators to service those floors, which has led to some dysfunction during both move-in day and regular operations. This also leaves the school liable to significant issues if one or both of the elevators become out of order. Several other students commented on broken equipment in the dorms, as well as the limited number of outlets. Some members of the Stevens community even commented that the new building “doesn’t replace Jacobus and Hayden,” referencing the two buildings torn down to make room for the UCC, while another student called the new space “overrated.”
Another student weighed in on the check-in system where residents of the South and Harries Towers are only allowed to check in one non-resident guest at a time. In comparison, all other residence halls on campus have much looser systems where the number and name of students they bring in are not monitored. This student believes that “if checking in guests is a safety measure, it should be implemented in all the halls.”
Other responders also gave input on the food in the new UCC marketplace. Some approved, sharing their favorite items at the different stalls. Others voiced their dissatisfaction with the marketplace saying that the “food is awful.” Some have also had issues with long wait times and mix-ups at the different stalls.
The topic that garnered the most comments was the inaccessibility of student spaces within the residential towers. One commenter “[hates] that students can’t enter the lounges” because “they were supposed to be study spaces for everyone.” Currently, only residents of the South and Harries Tower can access the study and lounge spaces in the residential section of the towers. At most, the UCC can house 900 students and there are around 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the school, meaning that only around 11.25% of the student body has access to these spaces which were built with tuition from all students. The only way to get access to these resources is to become a resident of the towers which is currently the most expensive housing option. The consensus on this issue was that students “wish more spaces were open to all students… not just residents.”
The mixed reviews of the UCC reflect the logistical problems that can accompany the opening of a new building. The Stute will continue to collect feedback on the Towers if any changes are made.
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