The student and theater lounge addition on the north side of the Union Theater will be for open use by Memorial Union- and theater-goers after a vote by Union Council Tuesday.
The council established at their Tuesday meeting that the space will remain primarily open for use by students at all times, with the exception of minimal, restricted private use.
Vice President for Program Administration Kiley Groose said the use of the space was a pressing issue, and the proposed procedure took into consideration the current Union guidelines for lounge usage as well as the facilities subcommittee’s input.
A main point of contention during the meeting was whether private events restricting students from using the space should be permissible at all in the lounge.
Before review, the procedure read that the space should be preserved as a student and theater lounge, “carefully limiting” times when its use is private and not open to Union members and guests.
Associated Students of Madison representative Sam Seering said the space should be open to students under any circumstances, and private events restricting student use of the lounge should not be allowed. He also said Union members should always be allowed to use the space.
“From my general feedback of talking with students on this campus, they’ve been excluded from many locations in both Unions,” he said.
Matt Manes, a member of Union Council, disagreed and said there are some rare instances where the lounge should be used privately and that the language of the guideline was satisfactory.
With these points made, as well as discussion regarding the logistics of having functions at the same time as students are occupying the lounge space, the council came to the conclusion to change the language from “carefully limiting” to “strictly limiting” private use.
Union Director Mark Guthier said he did not think always restricting the lounge from private use was plausible, since it may need to be used privately in rare and special circumstances.
“I think we want it to be open and co-mingled 99 percent of the time,” Guthier said. “I don’t want it known to be reserved separate from what’s happening in the Union theater, but I’m a big fan of not putting into policies the word ‘never.'”
The council ultimately decided that when the lounge is not available for general use by the public, signs will be posted the day of and at every entrance of the theater lounge.
The council also passed a motion that provides that 12 months after the student theater lounge’s opening, the council will reevaluate the procedure by assessing the use of the space and adjusting the guidelines accordingly.
The Union Council consists of 15 voting members comprised of nine students and six non-student members.
The fall 2011 ASM ballot, slated for Oct. 16, will include a referendum allowing students to voice their opinion of the student and theater lounge space addition. These votes will not decide whether the addition is implemented, but may influence the decision.
