Executive Board votes to reduce Union operating hours

The Rensselaer Union Executive Board passed a motion to reduce Union hours of operation until further notice on February 2. This proposal passed in a unanimous 16-0-0 vote among E-Board members.

After Director of the Rensselaer Union Dr. Charlie Potts reported on high student COVID-19 policy compliance when using Union facilities, reduced student activity in the Union, and the challenges associated with keeping the Union open late, the Rensselaer Union Executive Board unanimously passed a motion to reduce Union hours of operation until further notice. Potts asked the Union Executive Board to motion to reduce Union hours of operation, ultimately setting them to be 8 am to 9 pm Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 8 pm on Fridays, and 12 pm to 8 pm on weekends.

Potts cited a decline in foot traffic in the Union after 9 pm and an even earlier decline beginning at 8 PM on Fridays for this change. He reasoned that the proposed shift in the weekend hours from 10 am to 6 pm was to “support people getting lunch and dinner at the Union.” Potts added that the management of the Union under the current hours of operation was “really tough on the staff” who were employed to ensure health and safety protocol compliance.

In an email to The Polytechnic, Potts stated that the Union Executive Board is “evaluating the operation each week for overall traffic and compliance and substantiating the training of our building managers.” The Union Executive Board hopes to operate the Union under the supervision of student building managers during the afternoon and evening hours on weekends. This decision may result in the Union hours of operating being extended later in the evening. Potts noted that the Institute focused on student move-in at the beginning of the Spring semester, prompting an accumulation of other items that need to be addressed.

President of the Union Anissa Choiniere ’21 stated that all Union facilities available to students in the Fall 2020 semester, such as meeting rooms, student mail services, and dining services, will remain open for use. Potts stated that the Rensselaer Union will consider ways to ease the current restrictions as the ongoing public health crisis improves.