Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) new co-working space is a great idea on paper—a designated space on campus for clubs and societies to use is beneficial for students.
Space like this can help student groups avoid spending their budget on rental fees for other spaces on campus, or from having to decide where to meet at the last minute. It may fill a need seen by many groups.
This new space comes in the wake of the closure of CUSA’s multi-purpose space, “The Spot,” which closed after a year of sparse use.
Looking at where The Spot failed—a mix of vagueness about who the space was for, and a lack of interest from students—it’s easy to be skeptical of a new space on campus that appears very similar. If clubs and societies are not made aware of the space and its purpose, it will not be used, and it will be subject to the same fate as The Spot.
Clubs and societies is a blanket term, and CUSA needs to make sure very specific people are made aware that there is a space that fits their needs. They should be contacting the kind of groups this space is tailored to to try and make use of the space—be it clubs without a home, societies, or study groups. CUSA should also advertise the space, and make it obvious on multiple platforms that it exists, and what it is to be used for.
If there’s demand for this space, CUSA took a good step in making it a reality. Now they need to make sure people actually use it.
