Chancellor accepts Campus Y recommendations, committee suggests minor changes

A committee established to examine the usage and governance of the Campus Y building has completed its review, recommending only minor changes to the building's operations.

The committee consisted of 15 students, faculty and alumni and was chaired by former Board of Trustees Chair Richard Stevens and Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser. Although the committee was appointed by Chancellor Lee Roberts, Stevens said its role was advisory, with no decision-making authority.

The Campus Y, UNC's largest public service organization, is composed of three distinct entities, UNC Y,  a department within Student Affairs, the Campus Y Student Organization and the Campus Y building itself. 

Roberts, who formed the committee this summer, accepted the committee's recommendations to maintain current building hours and keep facilities such as the Anne Queen Faculty Commons, The Meantime Coffee Co. and the Blue Ram Cafe. 

In addition, the committee recommended that classroom space be reserved through UNC Y staff instead of through the current 25Live reservation portal. 

According to an Aug. 30 committee report, the 25Live reservation system was originally implemented to allow for more non-Campus Y groups to reserve space at the building. 

Lilah Krueger, a junior and member on the Campus Y Committee, said there was concern that the 25Live reservation system was inaccessible to people unfamiliar or unaware of the portal. 

“It was essentially determined that not being on 25Live still served a wide range of student groups,” Krueger said. “The needs of the campuswide student groups were great enough that they deserve to have a space where they could have priority.”

Stevens said the committee toured the Campus Y building to learn about the current uses of the facility. Despite the building's relatively small size, he said it was well-run and in “first-class shape,” with a large variety of organizations and students using the facility. 

“I think we all learned a lot from that tour,” Moeser said. “It gave us a picture of how important the building is at the center of campus as a student center and as the location of not just student activism on campus.”

While Stevens said there were discussions on extending the building's hours, he said the committee recommended only doing so if adequate staffing is available to assist with facility maintenance and security.  

Last semester, following the removal of the pro-Palestine encampment at Polk Place, UNC administration briefly closed the Campus Y building before later reopening it with revised, partial hours.

Senior Jaya Dayal said she has been involved with the Campus Y throughout her college experience. She said she helps host a dialogue series for the Democracy and Dialogue Fellows program using the 25Live portal to reserve space at the building. 

Dayal said the building restrictions placed last semester emphasized to her the importance of creating a safe and comfortable space in the building for community members. She also said she was happy with the committee's decision. 

“I'm in that building all the time,” Dayal said. “That's why the restrictions on the hours and the scrutiny and the security of the building was something that very much impacted me as an individual, and also the work that I do in that space.”

In the future, Krueger said she hopes that the Campus Y will continue to be a safe haven for students. 

“I think that everyone who cares about the Campus Y cares about it incredibly deeply and sees it as a space that has been a source of activism, a source of empowerment [and] a source of safety,” Krueger said. “And I think that the people who care about that remaining on campus will do everything in their power to keep it that way.”

@akashbhowmik159

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com