UofL News: The Student Activities Center is the student hub on Belknap Campus. Why do you think it is so important for students to have this kind of gathering space?��

Wildman: The space the Student Activities Center provides to students in institutions across the country is irreplaceable. I was telling a member of my staff that the SAC is similar to the Mirror of Erised (the magical mirror in ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’) because it is a space that students can go to find what they need. Students can eat, sleep, study, spend time with friends, work, get involved, and spend informal time with both staff and faculty of the institution. The learning that happens outside the classroom for many students is as important as the learning that happens inside the classroom, and the SAC is the best place for these opportunities.

UofL News: What do you want UofL students to know about the SAC that they may not know? What makes the SAC special?��

Wildman:�� I have been to about 30 student unions across the country, and each one is special in its own way. Most important, they serve the campus they were built on, and UofL is no exception. The SAC was built for a campus that is both commuter and residential with a focus in research. That is evident as the spaces within the SAC are designed for eating, studying, and gathering with organizations. The SAC has a lot to offer the almost 40,000 students it serves each week, around 8,000 per day.��

Among my long-term goals is to provide a student employment experience to students in the SAC that is something they can use to build their resumes. I also hope to find ways our students can serve the patrons of the SAC so that events are not only a joy for the clients but a learning experience for students. We will continue to assess and discuss long- and short-term goals based on the needs of our students.

Where’s your favorite spot in the SAC, or do you have several favorites? What programs are you looking forward to enjoying this semester?

Wildman:��I love so many spaces in the SAC, and I continue to find new spaces in the 422,000 square feet of space. If I had to pick a few of those spaces, I would choose the Red Barn for its history and the people that are so passionate about the community it creates. I also love the lounge space on the second floor. Students make spaces in these facilities their own, and this space has become a quiet space where students can go to think, relax, eat and study. It is such a versatile space with so much light and action.��

The events I am looking forward to this semester are endless, but mostly I look forward to being able to host more events for students in these spaces. Covid-19 has limited what we are able to offer, and what students are comfortable attending. So, as we prepare for orientation this summer and bringing new students to campus, I am looking forward to all that we can offer our fall 2022 first-year students.

This is the first time the department has been housed under the same roof. Most recently, it has been dispersed throughout three separate buildings around campus.��The move was necessary because the Crawford Gym is to make way for a new academic building.

HSS has 39 employees and all of them made the move to the SAC during the first week of classes. The SAC location was picked because HSS frequently collaborates with athletics, which is also housed in the SAC.

While in Crawford, the department’s co-chairs — Margaret Pentecost, assistant dean for student for student services, and Meg Hancock, assistant professor — worked to build a strong work-family community. Some of the department’s employees said they will miss the rich history of the gym and having former athletes visit them.

Even so, they are excited about being in the SAC, the extra space for growth and having the team in one place. The new space allows for more hands-on activities for their growing department, which serves more than��1,000 students. HSS’ projects include working with NASA, studying juvenile diabetes and fitness evaluation programs.

The newly renovated space for HSS includes pediatric treadmills, a fitness wave hydrostatic body fat measurement tank and a sport marketing lab that includes phones and computers for ticket sales and video conferencing.

��“This will be a great environment” Pentecost said.

“It will be an adventure but everyone is very excited and has been on board (with the move),” Hancock added.

The co-chairs also expressed their gratitude to those who planned, executed and helped make the move to the SAC.��