As programming for student activities commences for the spring semester, several clubs face a pressing issue: There is not enough space.
In a Jan. 22 message to the Brown community, Associate Provost for Academic Space Ira Wilson and University Registrar Robert Fitzgerald outlined key changes to space availability in response to the Dec. 13 shooting, including restrictions to previously frequented locations.
The closure of around 10 classrooms in Barus and Holley impacted availability in spaces like Sayles Auditorium and the Crystal Room in Alumnae Hall, Wilson said in an interview with The Herald. Student and club use of Sayles Hall is now limited to Friday morning through Monday night, and the Crystal Room in Alumnae Hall is only available for student activities at night and from Friday afternoon to Sunday night, according to the message.
For the Brown Political Union, the return to campus was already difficult, mourning the loss of Ella Cook ’28, who was a member of the club. Right before the start of shopping period, the group was told they would no longer be able to meet in their usual space in Alumnae Hall, BPU President Daniel Solomon ’26 wrote in an email to The Herald.
“We felt a smooth return to campus life revolved around our dedicated communal space,” Solomon wrote. “Throughout the break, mental images of debates, general-body meetings and Party meetings in Alumnae Hall were central to our group’s recovery and return to normalcy.”
Despite the change, Solomon told The Herald that BPU is grateful to the Student Activities Office for helping them find new space to both conduct club operations and cultivate a community where members “feel empowered” to express their beliefs.
Brown Mock Trial, which is preparing to host a tournament later this month, is also struggling to find competition and practice spaces, according to Tournament Director Wesley Horn ’28.
Horn said the club reserved most of their usual spaces in Page-Robinson Hall, Salomon Center and Friedman Hall ahead of time last semester, but they did not complete the reservation for all rooms they needed. When Horn went to reserve the extra spaces for the tournament, he was met with a roadblock: Other events and meetings that were previously scheduled in Barus and Holley had been moved to the spaces he was planning on booking.
“It made me a bit stressed trying to secure new rooms, but we (are) thankfully able to have enough to run our tournament,” Horn wrote in a message to The Herald.
When it comes to finding administrative solutions for space constraints, Wilson noted that the existing spaces will be utilized throughout the rest of the spring semester and most likely through the next two academic years.
“In other words, we are doing everything we can to find new space in buildings we already have,” Wilson said.
The University is also actively planning to make up for lost space, Wilson said, pointing to the conversion of the Center for Information Technology’s Sun Lab into a classroom. Additionally, the University is turning other spaces — like the Chancellor’s Dining Hall, the Crystal Room and Room 315 in the Sciences Library — into classrooms.
The tournament is scheduled to run “as close to normally as possible” on Feb. 21 and 22, but the buildings will be more crowded due to the influx of clubs, Horn wrote.
Even before the new space constraints, Brown Dabke Club, a Middle Eastern dance group, already had difficulties reserving spaces due to the high volume of dance groups on campus. In the past, their practice spaces changed almost every other week, ranging from the Underground, Petteruti Lounge in the Campus Center and even outdoor spaces, said Jad Smael ’27, the club’s secretary.
“Booking this semester filled up very quickly, and so we’ve been looking where we can,” Brown Dabke Club President Ziad Baki ’27 said.
When asked about the prioritization of clubs and their need for space, Wilson said need would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
“Brown doesn’t prioritize in a way that says ‘Your needs are less important than their needs,’” he explained. “We’re trying to meet everybody’s needs.”
“Everybody recognizes that extracurricular activities are a central part of Brown student life,” he added. “It may seem like we are sort of prioritizing classes, which we obviously are, but that’s not because we’re deprioritizing student activities.”
Lucia Santiago is a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life.
