Stony Brook University is moving its student centers under one umbrella that includes the Student Activities Center, Student Union, DeVries Center and Bauman Center. This will enable community members and outside organizations to reserve spaces more easily and efficiently, according to Hedieh Yazdanseta, senior director of Strategic Initiatives and Operations.
“There were five recreational facilities that were being housed under Campus Residences, so we are taking three of the five spaces because they are the largest and they have programming capabilities,” said Yazdanseta. These, as well as the student commuter lounge in the Melville Library dubbed Pit Stop, will all be under the newly formed Campus Life Centers, with Yazdanseta at the helm.
“I’ve done some tours of the buildings, but our team is going to be going in and really doing an assessment of the resources of the spaces, including measuring and creating diagrams,” she said.
As of now, Yazdanseta and the Campus Life Centers team will complete the transition on June 1. “We’re spending this spring semester learning, understanding, asking questions from Campus Residences and the staff that are managing the spaces and the staffing right now,” she said.
The move is two-fold. First, it will be easier for students to work with one department that can assist them with event planning. Second, it will provide a more cohesive and seamless event-planning process for outside organizations looking to host events on campus. In addition to the new name, there is also a new website and new hires to round out the growing division.
“If an outside agency or organization wants to explore having an event at Stony Brook, there’s a form on the new website that allows for easy booking. So you can see all the spaces on campus that are available for booking. And you’ll have one point of contact, whereas before, you may have had several. It’s really going to help streamline things,” said Yazdanseta.
She also noted that Daniel Soszynski, who previously worked in Campus Residences’ Residential Safety and Support Services, will be the director of Campus Life Centers.
“It’s actually brilliant that he gets to be our new Director, because he’s already familiar with these three new spaces that we’re acquiring. It makes the transition so much easier,” Yazdanseta said.
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