Associated Students will be hosting an open house of the A.S. Pardall Center this Thursday to showcase its newly renovated details and services, which are open to all students.

The space, located in the heart of Isla Vista on 6550 Pardall Road, will be a place where students have open access to computers and printers, as well as access to space for hosting group meetings and carrying out individual study sessions. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is open to the public. Student representatives will be providing refreshments speaking with visitors on their individual thoughts and feedback about the space.

After administering an A.S. life survey and student survey to the student population, A.S. analyzed the responses received and developed the space to be a multi-purpose study center geared toward the needs of students. The Center replaced what was previously Grafikart, a photocopying and printing service commonly used by UCSB students and faculty members.

According to third-year electrical engineering major Amir Khazaieli, who helped organize the project, A.S. wanted to carefully shape the building into a useful place for I.V. community members.

“We’re trying to get the space for a long time and now that we have it, we want to use discretion in how to use the space,” Khazaieli said.

Along with a conference room, the community center includes resources such as advanced computer software and projector screens, which are available but are not necessarily a “permanent thing,” Khazaieli said. Should students want something changed, Khazaieli said alterations will be immediately considered and services can be rearranged according to student needs.

“It’s a puzzle piece, so you can move it around to how you like to use the space at the time,” Khazaieli said. “The back will be a more specialized computer lab and will accommodate a wide variety of built-in software that are not in normal computer labs. There are a lot of programming tools that all majors can come in and [use].”

According to Assistant Director for A.S. Community Affairs Aaron Jones, the space is great for community gatherings, with features like extended hours and a self-help center.

“In the meetings and from what I observed, the ideal is that community groups and organizations can all find something they may have value,” Jones said. “We hope students take advantage of it, and we want to open up the hours of accessibility and use it as a study space.”

A brand new sign will be arriving soon, which Khazaieli said he hopes will attract students’ attention. In addition, the Isla Vista Community Relations Committee will be taking submissions during Chilla Vista for a mural that will be painted on the west side wall of Pardall Center.

In the meantime, the Pardall Center is still being improved. Since the ultimate goal for the space is to best cater to student needs, according to Jones, a lot of the building is still “yet to be written.”

“In my opinion, students are still figuring it out how it should look like,” Jones said. “But it’s definitely a very valuable, heartfelt and conscious goal with the space.”

 

Photo Courtesy of Associated Students

This story is a Daily Nexus online exclusive.

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