ASUO members, EMU staff and interested students on Monday afternoon discussed the future of the EMU at the first EMU Task Force meeting. The group has one objective: pass a successful EMU referendum in the fall of 2012.
The meeting was led by Jo Niehaus, EMU renovation project facilitator, and ASUO Sen. Ian Needham. Both have been working closely with the EMU renovation project. The small Oak Room was packed with about 25 people, all interested in revamping the EMU.
To begin the meeting, Niehaus went over the history of the renovation. She explained there were two failed referendums, one in the fall and one in the spring of this school year. There will be another one this coming fall. The group hopes to educate students to get them to vote “yes.”
“A successful referendum will involve students from everywhere and build a coalition of students,” Niehaus said. “We also want to create a partnership with faculty and staff.”
Next came a brainstorming session on how to educate and reach more students. Many ideas were discussed including reaching out to freshmen and highlighting the pub that will be in the EMU. ASUO Student Activities Director Lainie Vinikoor suggested making engaging videos and posting them to Facebook and YouTube.
Niehaus thought it was important to push the idea that the EMU is a building just for students, and the group should work to create a sense of community surrounding it. Needham agreed, saying the task force needs to come up with one line to impact students.
“Students deserve a building that will give them the bare minimum, and that is not happening,” he said.
ASUO Vice President Nick McCain suggested giving students something they can see rather than just hear about.
“I don’t think people can connect with a proposal,” he said. “Showing tangible pictures of what the building could be would get people excited.”
Another idea was to target the student groups that will have space in the new EMU and make them feel welcome and involved. ASUO Sen. Lindy Mabuya explained that many of these groups are a bit suspicious of the renovation but believes outreach can help that.
“We need to comfort fear with positivity,” she said. “They can work with us to build a community.”
The group kept going back to the importance of educating students on the project if the group is to have a successful campaign.
“Our job is to make sure people get the right information,” Niehaus said.
She said that if the referendum is passed in the fall, the building could be finished by 2016, so freshmen starting next year will be able to reap the benefits of the project.