Folt unveils renovated Student Union 4th floor
Cultural centers expanded to accommodate students and build community.
By CALEB KIM
Caleb Kim / Daily Trojan
Music, laughter and greetings reverberated across the fourth floor of the Student Union on Oct. 31 as USC community members gathered to witness the grand reopening of newly renovated fourth floor spaces, which expanded and created new spaces for various cultural centers and student-focused groups.
La CASA, the LGBTQ+ Student Center, Asian Pacific American Student Services and the Native American & Pasifika Student Lounge underwent extensive renovations over the Summer and into the Fall 2023 semester, with the La CASA and the APASS lounges more than doubling in square footage. The spaces included the Daily Trojan’s former newsroom, which has been relocated to the other side of the floor.
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Additionally, the University created new conference rooms for students and office spaces on the fourth floor to accommodate the Justice, Education, Diversity, and Inclusion Program and Gender Equity Programs.
The reopening ceremony, which was open to the entire USC community, served as an unveiling to the public of all the new changes that had been made. Student workers and staff from Student Equity and Inclusion programs and campus groups, including APASS, stood near doorways throughout the event to greet and guide attendees who toured the new spaces. Snacks and refreshments were also available for attendees to enjoy.
During the ceremony, Vice President for Student Life Monique Allard and President Carol Folt addressed the crowd in the new APASS lounge to celebrate the renovations and the University’s greater goal of expanding inclusivity and amplifying student voices on campus.
“The students, the art that the students pick, it’s just a beautiful, beautiful space and it is really great to be here,” Folt said. “You belong, this is where you are, and you’re going to change it each time you come here, so it’s really a special moment.”
Applause filled the room when Folt discussed the expansion of cultural centers, including the nearly 300 additional square feet added to the LGBTQ+ Student Center. Even with the increase in square footage, Folt remained confident that the spaces will always be overflowing with students.
“The events here always spill into the hallway. There’s never enough room, and even now I’m pretty hopeful there won’t ever be quite enough room, but at least there’s more room and it’s wonderful,” Folt said.
The University also added new conference rooms for students and office spaces to the fourth floor to accommodate the Justice, Education, Diversity, and Inclusion Program and Gender Equity Programs. (Drake Lee / Daily Trojan)
In an interview with the Daily Trojan, Naddia Palacios, the assistant vice provost for student affairs, student equity and inclusion, detailed the reasons why the University decided to make these renovations.
“It’s been a concerted effort to increase University student-focused spaces,” Palacios said. “It was an opportunity to celebrate their existence, but also to enhance student-accessible spaces.”
Palacios said the addition of new sleeping pods, study spaces and conference rooms all contribute to making the spaces much more welcoming for all students.
One of the biggest new changes brought forth by the renovations was a glass sliding door that connects the La CASA and APASS lounges, as well as a kitchen situated between the two spaces. The sliding door and shared kitchen allow for more collaboration and intermingling between both student groups.
Megan van der Toorn, the student equity and inclusion program director for intercultural services, said that the goal of building community between students was kept in mind while making all the changes.
[These] spaces got larger lounge areas for our student communities to build community with one another, sit and have conversations, study … our goal is to provide a home away from home for students,” van der Toorn said.
While proud of all the new changes being made to expand the cultural spaces on campus, Palacios said she sees and welcomes the possibility of further expansion in the future.
“Could I see for future advocacy? Absolutely,” she said. “One of the things that we promote is student advocacy. I always welcome those conversations. But I can tell you that in the past three years, we’ve made significant efforts to be more inclusive in our space allocations and include as many communities as possible.”
So far, student reactions to the new changes seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Paul Lazzari, a sophomore majoring in theater and anthropology, was very happy about the increase in space in the LGBTQ+ Student Center.
“It’s really great to have a lot more space,” Lazzari said. “I remember last year, meeting with affinity groups and hanging out in the LGBTQ+ Center was really crowded and now it’s less, which is great. It’s great to have a university that supports students of diverse backgrounds and identities.”
