"We presented her with the petition and a letter that formally stated our reasons against the move," said Leaders Council President Bruce Elliott. The petition was signed by 500 people, mostly students. Others present at the meeting included Vice President Eddie Knowles, Interim Dean of Students Mark Smith, Grand Marshal Gil Valadez, and Arikpo Onda, chair of the Student Senate committee on Student Life. A representative from the greek organizations did not show up.

"The president listened to us, and we got our views across," said Onda, who sees the lack of information from the administration as the primary problem in this issue. Since the move was made public only recently, finding relevant and accurate details proved to be difficult. "We know more now that we talked to the president, but should not [have had] to go to her," she said. Onda also argues that from the beginning the administration should have kept the students informed about the decision and the reasons for it.

During the meeting the president reiterated her view that the move will create a corridor for student services as the revitalization of the south campus evolves. The corridor will include the Union, Mueller Center, the Armory, Health Services, and the Playhouse. "These facilities naturally flow together," she said.

Elliott said that the decision was "appreciated," but there is still concern that the move will hamper student participation. Before moving to the Troy Building, the DOSO offices were in Academy Hall. The move, according to Elliott’s research, increased student interaction and involvement substantially. "We already know what happened when the DOSO was in Academy Hall, and we don’t want that to happen again," said Elliott.

Smith, however, is not overly concerned. "It will be a center for students. It is hard to see it now, but that will change after the construction is done," he said.

The construction that Smith refers to is that of the Electronic Media and Performing Arts Center, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, and the renovations in Academy Hall. So far, the Institute has not announced when the construction work on Academy Hall will begin. However, Onda argues that the construction that will be occuring is one of the main problems. "Students don’t like to go where there is construction," she said.

Some of the additional time that the president allotted until the DOSO moves will be used to prepare Academy Hall and make it more accessible and compatible with the needs of students. Smith sees the extra space that Academy Hall provides as the main advantage of the move.

"Being able to have more classrooms, space for the different programs we run, and a place for student interaction is very important," said Smith. The different student offices, including the offices of the First-Year Experience and Minority Student Affairs, have outgrown their limited space and need more to accommodate several student programs.