Longshoremen's Hall sees dip in student use
Fewer than 100 people used LSH during fall quarter.
Lana Alisdairi
Issue date: 3/9/10 Section: News
Some UW Tacoma students have a foggy idea about where and what exactly the Longshoremen's Hall (LSH) is. Those who do know about the facility say it's much too far from the central hub of campus to check out. Yet without a student union, it can be hard for students to feel like they have a space to hang out.
LSH opened its doors to students in the spring of 2007 to offer much needed event and recreation space for the campus. The Dawg Shed, nothing more than a tin structure where Philip Hall now stands, had served this purpose.
"Before Philip Hall was built, the Dawg Shed was there," Bernie Liang, Associate Director for Student Involvement, said. "It looked basically like a tin shell. If you ask the first freshmen class, their orientation was in the Dawg Shed."
Once plans were underway to construct Philip Hall, the university realized that it would need another facility to house event and recreation space.
"There was a need for the university not only to have recreation space, but also a gathering space," Liang said.
So renovation of the old Longshoremen's building on Market Street was started in order to fill that gap. Now that Philip Hall is complete, the Longshoremen's Hall serves as another option for campus events.
Yet the space is underused. Liang said that there was a drastic drop in the number of events held at LSH once Philip Hall opened.
"In terms of daily users, we had a little under 100 people use the facility during fall quarter," Jacque Clinton, Student Coordinator for Recreation and Fitness, said. "These numbers were not up to our expectations and we are working to improve them. However, over twenty events were held in LSH with attendance at each ranging from 20-150 people, so the daily numbers don't reflect the overall use of the facility."
Events ranging from dances to the Chancellor's addresses that used to be held in the Longshoremen's Hall have now moved to Philip Hall. Liang said that focus was shifted on emphasizing the Longshoremen's as a recreational space, rather than as an event space. LSH features a collaborative learning space, a spacious event and recreation area, a gaming center, outdoor recreation courts, and an online gaming room.
LSH opened its doors to students in the spring of 2007 to offer much needed event and recreation space for the campus. The Dawg Shed, nothing more than a tin structure where Philip Hall now stands, had served this purpose.
"Before Philip Hall was built, the Dawg Shed was there," Bernie Liang, Associate Director for Student Involvement, said. "It looked basically like a tin shell. If you ask the first freshmen class, their orientation was in the Dawg Shed."
Once plans were underway to construct Philip Hall, the university realized that it would need another facility to house event and recreation space.
"There was a need for the university not only to have recreation space, but also a gathering space," Liang said.
So renovation of the old Longshoremen's building on Market Street was started in order to fill that gap. Now that Philip Hall is complete, the Longshoremen's Hall serves as another option for campus events.
Yet the space is underused. Liang said that there was a drastic drop in the number of events held at LSH once Philip Hall opened.
"In terms of daily users, we had a little under 100 people use the facility during fall quarter," Jacque Clinton, Student Coordinator for Recreation and Fitness, said. "These numbers were not up to our expectations and we are working to improve them. However, over twenty events were held in LSH with attendance at each ranging from 20-150 people, so the daily numbers don't reflect the overall use of the facility."
Events ranging from dances to the Chancellor's addresses that used to be held in the Longshoremen's Hall have now moved to Philip Hall. Liang said that focus was shifted on emphasizing the Longshoremen's as a recreational space, rather than as an event space. LSH features a collaborative learning space, a spacious event and recreation area, a gaming center, outdoor recreation courts, and an online gaming room.
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