Longshoremen's Hall sees dip in student use

Some UW Tacoma students have a foggy idea about where and what exactly the Longshoremen's Hall (LSH) is. Those who do know about the facility say it's much too far from the central hub of campus to check out. Yet without a student union, it can be hard for students to feel like they have a space to hang out. LSH opened its doors to students in the spring of 2007 to offer much needed event and recreation space for the campus. The Dawg Shed, nothing more than a tin structure where Philip Hall now stands, had served this purpose. "Before Philip Hall was built, the Dawg Shed was there," Bernie Liang, Associate Director for Student Involvement, said. "It looked basically like a tin shell. If you ask the first freshmen class, their orientation was in the Dawg Shed." Once plans were underway to construct Philip Hall, the university realized that it would need another facility to house event and recreation space. "There was a need for the university not only to have recreation space, but also a gathering space," Liang said. So renovation of the old Longshoremen's building on Market Street was started in order to fill that gap. Now that Philip Hall is complete, the Longshoremen's Hall serves as another option for campus events. Yet the space is underused. Liang said that there was a drastic drop in the number of events held at LSH once Philip Hall opened. "In terms of daily users, we had a little under 100 people use the facility during fall quarter," Jacque Clinton, Student Coordinator for Recreation and Fitness, said. "These numbers were not up to our expectations and we are working to improve them. However, over twenty events were held in LSH with attendance at each ranging from 20-150 people, so the daily numbers don't reflect the overall use of the facility." Events ranging from dances to the Chancellor's addresses that used to be held in the Longshoremen's Hall have now moved to Philip Hall. Liang said that focus was shifted on emphasizing the Longshoremen's as a recreational space, rather than as an event space. LSH features a collaborative learning space, a spacious event and recreation area, a gaming center, outdoor recreation courts, and an online gaming room. Yet the few events that are now and then held at LSH still constitute much of its use. "Usually there are at least a few events a month," Jacque Clinton, Student Coordinator for Recreation and Fitness, said. "This month, we've had six events, including a spoken word performance by Taalam Acey, an inspirational lecture by Kevin Powell, and QSA's Masquerade Drag Show." The facility usually remains vacant during its 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. hours of operation. What's more, at least two employees must work the facility at the same time because of safety concerns. Students are paying to keep LSH running, despite its lack of use. Funds for maintaining the facility and paying employees come from the Services and Activities Fee that all students must pay. The S&A Fee for the 2009-10 academic year comes to $339. Eventually, the university will grow up the hill toward LSH. Then the hall would become the center of campus, as a potential site of the student union. With recent state budget cuts, however, this wouldn't happen for at least another three years. In the meantime, Liang wants to ensure that the space gets as much use as possible. "Jacque [Clinton] and I have identified over and over that there's an issue with people going up there," said Liang. "So we're thinking about how we can still reconfigure Longshoremen's Hall so people will actually use it. We're coming up with all sorts of directives that will be presented to SAFC [Services and Activities Fee Committee] this year." Liang said that so far Student Involvement has tried a number of ways to attract more students to the facility. They've created brochures and flyers to post across campus and encouraged staff to invite friends to visit and host programs during their work hours. But these efforts still haven't created enough of a draw. Liang identified one potential possibility that may work. Since more students will be living in campus housing at Court 17 (across from LSH) next year, Liang thinks including study spaces with extended hours for them would be popular. Beatrice Diep, a student staff member at LSH, lives in campus housing at Court 17. She expressed excitement over the recent talks. "I would personally use it as a study space," she said. "It would be even better if they made a section for quiet study and Teaching and Learning Center groups." Student Involvement is also putting together activities that would be held in LSH at specific times. "We plan to offer more specific activities and classes to draw students to the space. We recently began offering a Hip Hop Hustle class taught by UWT senior, Maren Clifton," Clinton said. "It's a fun way to get in shape while avoiding the rain." Students pay for LSH. "That's our biggest message to students," Liang said. At the end of the day, it is also students' responsibility to ensure that the Longshoremen's Hall is made the most of.