The Gatepost Editorial: It’s time to talk about resources. Where are they?
By The Gatepost Editorial Board
Situated behind West Hall, the Rams Resource Center sits unassumingly, a catch-all pantry where students can access free food, toiletries, clothes, and other essentials.
But because of its location, the average student may not know about it.
West Hall is one of the newest buildings on campus, and the Rams Resource Center is undoubtedly an attractive-looking space. However, aesthetics don’t matter for a center such as this.
What matters more is accessibility and flexible hours.
For residents, it is reasonable to assume that if they park a car in the Maynard Lot, they have passed by the center. However, blink, and you’ll miss it. The center's only signage is a small chalkboard.
Also, chances are, it might not be open when you pass.
The University lists the center's hours of operation on its website as 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.
On Thursdays, the hours are 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. And most shockingly, on Fridays, they are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The day before the center closes for in excess of 48 hours, the Rams Resource Center has the most limited hours of the week. This leaves students with minimal hours to stock up on necessities that will carry them through the weekend.
The University website also offers a few disclaimers about the center's hours. However, one is most troubling: “Hours may change without notice due to coverage.”
Staffing is clearly an issue at the center. Why isn't the University prioritizing hiring student workers to cover the center's hours?
If you look at other essential departments on campus, such as the Student Transportation Center, they do an excellent job recruiting students and offering them a reasonable wage of $17.
If we can fund a service that brings people to the Mall, the University can certainly afford to make working at the center more attractive.
If the University hires more students to staff the center, it could offer more hours so more students can access this resource.
If the University invested more in staffing the center, it could also expand hours to serve students after normal working or business hours.
To think you’d have better luck catching a ride to the Natick Mall than walking across campus to pick up toiletries from the Rams Resource Center exposes a jarring inequity, which makes The Gatepost Editorial Board question where the University’s priorities lie.
Also, has anyone considered drawing on the resources of the fleet of students Residence Life & Housing employs?
Every Residence Hall is staffed 24/7 with student workers. There must be students looking for hours. Call on them to fill gaps in coverage.
As discussions about next year's budget begin to get underway in departments, the University’s Executive Staff and accountants should seriously consider moving money from less essential line items to strengthen the Rams Resource Center's budget.
We’ve seen in recent changes to the University infrastructure that spaces can be repurposed.
Recently, the University moved the Campus Bookstore from the Athletic Center to the McCarthy Center, making way for a new general student fitness center.
The space has brand-new equipment that’s even branded with the FSU Rams logo, which is completely necessary in the very likely scenario that someone questions what college fitness center they’re in.
As for the old fitness center, one level above, that’s now just for athletes.
To boot, the University closed the McCarthy Center game room, a space for all students, especially those who do not have a dorm room to use, in order to make space for the campus bookstore.
McCarthy is obviously a better location for the Rams Resource Center.
The college center is a building every student passes through. It’s centrally located, inviting, and has ample parking for commuters to use if they need to stop by the center for a quick stock up.
Also, the University’s Dining Services has offices, store rooms, and the main dining concourse in the McCarthy Center. At the end of the day, or week, having the center located within a few short steps would allow for a stronger partnership with Sodexo.
A partnership in which the excess food that would be wasted in the Dining Commons could be redistributed to students in need.
Locating the center in a public, centrally located building such as McCarthy would make it significantly more accessible to all students.
Maynard Road sits atop a hill and is a crushing walk. Why would the bottom of this hill be the best location for a center so necessary for our campus community?
The average commuter will never have a reason to go underneath West Hall, or even know it houses anything other than a Residence Hall.
The Gatepost Editorial Board understands West is a beautiful, new building on campus, but it’s practically off-campus housing because of its location.
We, The Gatepost Editorial Board, look forward to increased coverage at the Rams Resource Center, and covering it.
