Chaos in the COOP

Chaos in the COOP

All the Changes Happening in the COOP at St. Mikes

Vaishu Koduri, Vice President SMCSU

Those who frequent the COOP were likely met with a bit of a shock when trying to sit in one of SMC’s most beloved social spots last week only to find power tools everywhere. Yes, the rumors are true. The COOP, SMC’s Student Lounge is (finally) getting a face-lift! Through funding provided by the Student Improvement Fund, an endowment that SMCSU uses on capital investments to our campus, several changes are in store for the COOP.  

Planning for the COOP’s makeover started way back in March of this year, when SMCSU ran a survey about what changes students would like to see to the space. Alongside a layout design contest, and interviewing students, we were able to gather ideas for what the space needed. Overwhelmingly, students shared that the space felt “dreary” and needed more colour, better furniture, working outlets, and more study spaces. Student Leaders at SMC also suggested more space to put up posters for events, as well as more storage for event materials.  

This summer, representatives from SMCSU (including myself) took those changes to the Dean’s office, our contractor, and designer to make the COOP more student friendly. Through many (MANY) meetings, Pinterest boards, and lengthy email chains, we came up with a plan! 

However, the process was not without its set of challenges. Issues with material availability, transferring funds, complications with the millwork and electricity, and scheduling problems ultimately led to a 2-week delay in the installation of some major pieces for the COOP that were initially going to be installed over reading week.  

Once the COOP reopens, students will be treated to a brand-new trophy case (providing more room to play billiards), bright colours on the walls, a kitchen island (hello SMCheese!), and other small fixtures! But the work doesn’t end here… 

This renovation is only the first phase of three. In the next stage, hopefully taking place over the Winter Break, we will be replacing the couches, installing a stage at the front of the room, and rearranging the existing furniture to form benches along the windows. The final stage will hopefully bring blinds, plants, vending machines, and a neon sign to make the space feel more like a student lounge, set to happen early next year.  

To the readers, I’d like to sincerely thank you for your patience as we work on these changes. With a big project like this, our goal was to make decisions that allow us to spend student funds responsibly and try to minimize distractions to the student body. We sincerely apologize to anybody disrupted by the COOP renovations over the past couple of weeks and hope you can enjoy the new fixtures!  

We’d also like to thank our collaborators, including our contractor Greg Treadwell and his team, our designer Karin Kowalski, the Assistant Dean of Campus Life, Karina Stellato, and our Dean of Students, Duane Rendle, for their hard work throughout this project.  

If you have any concerns about the renovation, or anything you’d like to bring to our attention, please send me an email at [email protected]

Photo Credit: Aiden Fung