By Elianna Novitch
Members of the University of Iowa Student Government passed a bill Tuesday to allocate $10,048.74 to the Lockers on Campus initiative to fund the installation of lockers on the IMU ground floor.
“This has been a need we’ve identified for a long time on campus,” UISG Sen. Tom Bowman said. “This is a platform initiative that a lot of members in our current student Senate ran on.”
UISG President Rachel Zuckerman and Vice President Lauren Freeman’s platform included the Lockers on Campus initiative.
“Rachel and I ran on this platform and put a lot of work into doing research for it and listening to students’ needs,” Freeman said. “To see that the fruits of our labor are coming to life and things like the Lockers on Campus initiative are being passed is just really exciting and shows that we are listening to students and that we’re committed to completing this platform.”
While there are lockers currently available for use in numerous places around campus, UISG identified a variety of factors that prevent students from taking full advantage of them.
Some of those factors include that the lockers already operate at maximum capacity, they are located in spaces with limited accessibility, they require payment for use, or are reserved for specific membership users. UISG identified that the current locker situation on campus is not satisfying the overall need for storage space.
The need for lockers to be installed on campus was confirmed through a student outreach survey that UISG sent out in November 2016. A total of 144 randomly selected individuals submitted responses, and of those, more than 75 percent indicated they would benefit from a free locker system in the IMU.
A total of 48 storage spaces will be installed on the IMU ground floor near Student Health & Wellness.
The location of the lockers was a collective decision between UISG and the IMU.
The location means that users will have convenient access via the south entrance, it is in a high-trafficked area, which will promote use, and the lockers will be near food services, which has been linked to the success in similar locker programs at other universities.
UISG will be responsible for covering the upfront costs of the lockers in a one-time allocation of $10,048.74. The IMU staff will be responsible for the installation of the lockers, day-to-day maintenance, and locker security.
Of the 48 storage spaces, 16 will be designed to accommodate hanging clothes, and 32 will be designed to accommodate backpacks, duffel bags, bike helmets, etc.
“Once students start using [the lockers], that’s when I think we’ll see their impact on campus,” UISG Sen. Alexia Sanchez said. “I’m really excited to see them in use and to hear students’ feedback.”
All lockers will have keyless numerical locks, which will allow users to set a single-use code. The code will automatically reset after it is entered a second time when users retrieve their items.
UISG hopes to have the lockers installed before spring break and available for use soon after their installation.
“This is just a step in the right direction, and we’ll go from here,” Bowman said. “If the project is successful, we absolutely will look to expand storage spaces throughout campus, because while we identified the IMU as a real center that needed this attention, there are a lot of other buildings on campus that might need it as well.”