You’ve probably noticed all those club posters that cover the doors of the building directly across from the HUB. I’ve stopped and looked at the posters many times but never did I wonder what was behind the doors that the posters were covering. There is a student lounge located on the second and part of the first floor where students can hang out in between classes, but there was also a big empty space on the first floor not being used. What could have been here? The space used to house a restaurant called the Stacked Deli. The restaurant had been on the UCR campus until last year when it shut down for good. I wondered what the student body was going to do with this empty space. Were they going to turn it into a storage facility like the Exchange now is, or build it into something that would be useful to not only UCR students but the Riverside community in general?
It would be beneficial to the students and community of Riverside if the empty space was transformed into a studio or rehearsal space of some kind where students would be able to practice their artistic skills, such as dancing or music, and not have to worry about distractions. Even though the UCR campus has an arts building where a room like this does exist, having the studio by the HUB would make it one of the many centers of attention and non-music majors would be able to have access to this studio. Building it would set UCR apart from the other UCs. This studio would only increase the standards of UCR and help the school reach a higher potential.
One of my friends is a member of the dance team 909 and told me that the team practices in front of the Student Recreation Center. This is inconvenient because of all the people who are walking, scooting, skateboarding, and biking past. This results in the creation of distractions and an unsafe environment for the dancers and the pedestrians, not to mention the awkward and embarrassing sensation of having people watching you dance. Obviously, these dancers don’t mind dancing in the public eye but when someone messes up on a move and people are watching, it can be humiliating for everyone. If only there was a place where dance teams could practice without having to worry about being run over by someone on a bike. Not only that, but the weather is changing. It is getting colder and the sun sets sooner, turning everything pitch-black by the time it is 7 p.m. It only seems reasonable to have a secure, safe and warm place where students can practice.
But dance teams wouldn’t be the only groups of people who would benefit from a new rehearsal studio. The studio would be useful to any bands or musicians. Use of the space should be free for students, since we are already paying to go to school, but potentially charging non-students could bring in revenue for the school depending on whether UCR would allow the Riverside community access to the rehearsal studio. There would have to be an hourly fee or payment put into place for any non-UCR student that wants to use the studio. UCR already grants the local sports teams use of the sporting arenas such as the soccer fields and the basketball courts; the people of Riverside would be able to use the studio as well.
If the studio was built, there would be a series of changes that would have to be made in order to make the room ready for artists to practice in. The walls would have to be soundproofed so those in the student lounge on the first floor aren’t disturbed. The room needs to be built so it is welcoming and at the same time useful. But no matter what the room is comprised of, the main purpose of the studio would be a place where UCR students and the Riverside community can express themselves. I am aware that there are rooms located elsewhere in the HUB where activities are always held, but those rooms would not be properly equipped with full-wall mirrors for the dancers, acoustic walls for the musicians, and anything else other artists would need for the room. Even though it would require lots of money and hiring of qualified people to refurbish the empty space for the studio, in the end the time and money would be worth it.
The studio would be a major asset for the students of UCR and community of Riverside. It would bring us more recognition and UCR’s popularity would increase among incoming, future, and foreign exchange students, as well as other universities. Turning the empty space into a rehearsal studio would be a smart choice because it would definitely bring a greater impact not only to the UCR campus but a greater impact to the students and community.
