Students at the Student Center North on Sept. 10, 2024. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar
As the University grows in population, space on campus for students does not. Whether it is finding places to sit, study or relax in between classes, students are burdened with long waiting lines or crowded rest spaces.
The most frequently visited places to study on campus are Student Centers North and South, and it is rare to find open seating for study sessions.
“Looking for places to study is very aggravating considering the more comfortable places on campus are always crowded,” said public health sophomore Hannah Ortega. “While studying in these spaces, I feel suffocated, and sometimes the Wifi crashes making it impossible to get work done in these study spaces.”
Students like Hannah are constantly struggling to find seating in common areas across campus. Regardless of them using these seats to kick back and relax, the majority use these common areas for academics.
“It takes me around two to three hours to study,” Ortega said. “I need these spots for a good amount of time, and I’m probably there for even longer if the atmosphere is distracting.”
Considering the amount of time students need to do schoolwork and this year harboring the biggest freshman class in UH history, the seating availability is not accommodating.
To address these challenges, the Student Government Association shed light on what the path forward would be to tackle the limited seating crisis and still give a quality experience to students.
“There is not an initiative taking place at the moment, however, SGA is always striving to listen to student concerns,” said Sen. Sahar El Hoderi. “This issue has also been affecting me because even as a senator, I am also a student and working with student organizations.”
El Hoderi believes that not only are the common areas overpopulated but even booking rooms for events are always reserved.
Overpopulation is also affecting campus organizations needing to utilize these spaces for clubs, meetings and events.
These scheduling conflicts and limited spaces for student activities reduce the overall quality of student engagement, ultimately delaying the ability of organizations to prosper.
“In the long term, there is the Centennial Project, which is focused on planting more trees, making artificial shaded areas and outdoor spaces that are study-friendly,” Ortega said. “This plan focuses on creating more outdoor hangout spaces which gives students variety in seating availability.”
However, while these plans beautify the campus and offer more quality study spaces, these changes would only apply within comfortable weather.
UH being a campus located in Texas, people on campus are typically experiencing warm and humid temperatures with thunderstorms and rain being common. Additionally, a bigger issue is the preparation of making new spaces.
“These spaces are aimed to be welcoming and inviting to students,” Ortega said. “However, these may contradict if these spots are overcrowded as well and are no longer appealing to students.”
While the Centennial Project will offer more spaces and seating on campus, approaching this problem head-on is not easy.
As of right now, the only solution for this would be collecting data on which spaces should be focused on.
With this information, the University should be able to make informed decisions on ensuring current and future students are offered access to revamped campus seating spaces.
