On April 18, the Division of Student Affairs announced their intended enhancement project to the Shapiro Campus Center. One aspect of enhancing the SCC is to allow for more reservable meeting space. In order to achieve this, the Department of Student Engagement will no longer allocate space to unsecured clubs. These clubs include Gravity Magazine, Laurel Moon, Brandeis Television, and the Hoot.

The Department of Student Engagement defines a secured club as “an organization recognized by students as sufficiently important to necessitate annual funding and secured status through the Student Union Constitution.” Secured clubs include Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, WBRS 100.1 FM, Student Events, and the Student Sexuality Information Service.

In an April 18 email to Gravity Magazine, Director of Student Engagement Matt Galewski explained that the rooms currently used by unsecured clubs will be converted into communal spaces to be shared by multiple clubs. 

The unsecured clubs being asked to relocate have not been given an alternate location for the coming year. Going forward, clubs will need to reserve space in order to hold meetings, production nights, or events. While this makes space available for more clubs on campus, it complicates club activities for those that currently operate in SCC spaces and depend on having a consistent location to meet. 

“Focus groups and survey data point to insufficient space available for the majority of clubs on campus. The need for more space for a greater number of organizations is also supported by what we observed at other area campus centers and current space usage levels in the [SCC],” Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement Shelby Harris explained in a May 1 email to the Justice.

“We can theoretically move. But it's not what we really want,” Gravity Editor-in-Chief Harvey Sugiuchi ’23 said in a May 1 interview with the Justice. In terms of equipment, Gravity would only need to move a “few boxes of magazines, some swords, and a couple of magazines,” Sugiuchi said. These items are far easier to store and transport than other organizations’ equipment. For instance, Brandeis TV and the Hoot will need to transport the equipment they own and use, such as cameras and desktop computers, in addition to losing their studio and workspace. Galewski said that there will be storage available for clubs that need it.

“Honestly— they've been very helpful in response to these emails, I just don't think the policy was very well thought-out to begin with,” Sugiuchi said in a May 1 email to the Justice.

Secured clubs will continue to have a guaranteed space in the SCC. For instance, SSIS will be in a different room in the SCC. The Student Affairs office is working with those clubs to give them a space that allows for their needs. Clubs are currently being asked to pack up their belongings and leave their spaces by May 30.

Representatives for SSIS were unavailable to comment before press time.

6talk and Laurel Moon did not respond to the Justice’s request for comment.