By snoadmin
After closing the art lockers engendered considerable student backlash, university officials drew up a definitive plan for a new storage space for students, but the relief will come a little late for art students graduating this spring.
During a meeting, Associate Vice President of Physical Planning and Facilities Management David Salazar and Provost Donald Para made plans for the new locker facility.
“The art lockers are a high priority project, and they’re planning on building them this summer,” Michael Gardner, manager of capital and physical planning, said. “The current concept is to distribute them throughout the art buildings. The details as to how they’re being distributed are still being defined.”
Putting all the lockers in one area, similar to the previous layout, proved impractical, Gardner said. The exact locations where lockers will be installed have yet to be determined.
The art lockers were closed at the beginning of the fall 2012 semester, citing safety concerns, health issues and limited classroom space as reasons for the closure, Department Chair of the School of Art Christopher Miles said. The art lockers had served as a place for students to store their supplies, but the liberal graffiti allowances made the lockers a destination for local gangs, University Police Captain Scott Brown said.
After the announcement of the art lockers’ closure, students pushed for reopening the lockers. A student-organized petition to open the lockers collected more than 350 signatures, and the Associated Students Inc. Senate passed a resolution officially supporting a permanent option for storing their art projects.
The project is still in the planning phase, and a completion date or prospective costs have not been established.
“The scope of the work is still being defined,” Gardner said.
