First assignment

Students remain confused about the opening of the CUB as complications arise because of the ongoing construction and a lack of student unity.
The Compton Student Union Building will be open for student use by Fall 2008, according to ASWSU Vice-President Janeen Heath. Many students are unaware of the actual opening date of the CUB. “I never knew when the CUB was supposed to open,” said student Kristen Perrin, a sophomore Public Relations major. “A lot of my friends don’t know either. I feel like the campus is in the dark about when it actually will open.”Heath spoke on record regarding to many questions students have about the CUB renovations on Friday afternoon. “The CUB will be fully operational to students in Fall 2008,” Heath stated.Another problem is the actual look of the CUB currently. “It looks like nothing is being accomplished from the outside,” said junior Psychology major Kristen Betts. “Everyday I walk by and it is one giant eye sore.”Currently, the construction workers are just working on the basic structure of the building. According to Heath, beginning on June 15th the university will take over and begin building the interior, based on the different vendors that will be offered in the CUB.“I think the students are going to be very excited about what is to come,” said Heath. She also exclusively said that there will be an announcement on March 2nd to state which vendors are coming to the CUB next year.Another issue on hand about the CUB closure is a possible lack of student unity. Student unions are vital to college campuses and are a main part of student life, according to Karen Kibbey, a junior communication major. “I definitely feel that there is a lack of student unity on campus. There isn’t a place that the students can hang out and congregate together with the CUB closure,” she said. Heath definitely thinks that is hard to bring the students together without the central CUB location. “It is difficult to find a space that big. You have to go outside the main core and heart of campus,” Heath said. “It is definitely an added task for ASWSU this year.”Pullman is such a close knit community and the town has been very open to welcoming students all around town. “The city of Pullman has been good about stretching resources for students to use,” said Heath. “There has been a lot of collaboration with the city in this process.”In another effort to bring students together, ASWSU president Zach Wurtz, along with Heath, planned the first ever All Campus Retreat this year. Leaders from a variety of different student groups were asked to participate in the retreat, which took place last September 22-24. “It definitely helped break stereotypes and first impressions about different groups of students on campus. It was big success and was a bonding experience,” she said.Although the close of the CUB may be a bit inconvenient right now, the future rewards will be worth it. “We are a huge university, and students have sacrificed before us and it is now our turn to make it the university stronger for future Cougs,” said Heath.