Student Lounge to Close Early

Vandalism, Security issues prompt Student Activities to close SAB lounge at 5p.m.By Nigel ChiwayaCiting security concerns, the office of Student Activities announced that the student lounge on the second floor of the Student Activities Building will close at 5p.m. The announcement was made on November 2 and went into effect on November 5. The 5p.m. closure time means that the lounge will close six hours earlier than previously. Prior to the announcement, the lounge closed at 11 p.m., long after the OSA staff left for the evening.According to the OSA, the early closure time is a result of security concerns and vandalism. The office cited random security checks conducted since October 22 which found non-NYIT students, as well as former students from as far back as 1999, trespassing in the lounge after OSA staff had left. Speaking about the issue, Director of Student Activities director Dennis Camacho was quoted saying “I’m not going to wait until a non-student comes in and punches a student in the face, breaking their nose.”Also influencing the decision were reports of vandalism and improper conduct in the lounge. In October, the control box to the ventilation unit was ripped out, prompting the closure of the lounge for a week. Mr. Camacho also cited an incident in which students refused to leave the lounge. According to Mr. Camacho, in late October, the Student Government Association needed the lounge for an emergency meeting. However, students refused to leave the lounge upon their request, prompting Mr. Camacho to intervene.The office insists that the decision was not meant to punish students, and was chosen as a last resort. Mr. Camacho stated that he is open to discussion with students about the lounge space, but only if solutions are posed. “If you’ve got a plausible solution, I’d like to hear it.” Student groups with offices in the building, such as the SGA, the Student Programming Association, and the NYIT Chronicle, will still have access to the building after hours, provided each group provides an updated membership list to the OSA.Reports of vandalism and improper conduct in the Student Activities Building are nothing new. Prior to the start of this semester, the SAB basement was a secondary student lounge, which a game area and lockers. In the April 2006, the basement was closed for the semester after security discovered massive amounts of damage to the area, including holes in the walls and ceilings, and damage to the pool and ping-pong tables. In addition, students were discovered engaging in sexual acts in the area. The OSA fears that with the closure of the SAB basement lounge, much of the same behavior will make its way to the second floor lounge.When questioned about the decision to close the lounge early, the OSA says the early closure is nothing new. In fact, former Directors of Student Activities used to close the lounge early. “The thing to remember is that we’re going back to something,” Mr. Camacho says. “This isn’t something new.”