Long lineups snaking around the corridor outside Room 190 in the Stevenson-Lawson Building are a thing of the past.
Forget standing in line. John Doerksen, Vice-Provost (Academic Programs and Students) (Registrar) joins the many students taking advantage of the seating area outside Student Central in the new $21-million Western Student Services Building.
The $21-million Western Student Services Building is open for business, promising better service and a more welcoming atmosphere to meet students’ needs.
The building is centrally located between the University Community Centre (UCC) and Weldon Library at the heart of campus activity. John Doerksen, Vice-Provost (Academic Programs and Students) [Registrar], says the new facility is student-centred in both design and function.
Students entering the building to get registered for classes, pay tuition fees, and access student resources are greeted by high ceilings, natural lighting and multiple lounge spaces. The exterior of the building has been fashioned with a new courtyard and landscaping.
“This is a concrete expression of Western’s commitment to the student experience,” says Doerksen. “It’s important for me to create a welcoming and caring environment for students.”
Although it may be too soon to tell, Doerksen predicts the central location will help boost the number of students accessing services within his portfolio. There is also direct access to the new building from the UCC by a connecting hallway to the left of the main staircase on the main floor.
Many of students’ needs will be fielded by Student Central, located on the main floor of the building. The area has been set up to increase privacy, reduce wait times and provide a comfortable waiting area with seating. Doerksen wants to offer ‘one-stop’ service to students.
The expanded workspace provides better working conditions for staff members as well, he says. “The old space wasn’t as conducive to efficient processes.”
He hopes the strategic placement of services will create synergies and encourage communication amongst staff.
One of the areas where this is most evident is the joining together of The Career Centre @ Western and the Centre for New Students. The two areas will be permanently located in the former Student Development Centre area on the second floor of the UCC, which is currently under renovation.
The new facility provides increased programming space, something that was much needed by Indigenous Services, which formerly used rooms across campus for meeting space.
Doerksen says a “jewel” of the new building is the David S. Chu International Student Centre, funded by a $1-million donation from the Chu family. It will be used as a meeting space for students, faculty and international events and conferences.
During July and early August, about 250 work stations and 200 full-time and contract staff moved from the Stevenson-Lawson Building to the Student Services Building.
Krys Chelchowski, Director, Student Information Services and Administration, credits the effectiveness of the move captains and project manager Fred Janzen of Physical Plant for making it smooth and preventing the disruption of services.
Timelines of the construction and relocation of services was documented on a website dedicated to the building.
There are still some finishing touches to be made on the building, but overall Chelchowski is pleased with the outcome.
“It reflects the services the way we wanted them to be perceived,” she says. “After so much planning, to see the students and staff happy, it’s really exciting.”
An official opening date has yet to be determined.
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What and where
A list of the student services and where they’re located is available at wss.uwo.ca/floorplans.cfm.
