The combined efforts of motivated students, faculty and staff have successfully prevented The Gardens from closing.
At yesterday’s Union Board meeting following a reading of the board’s resolution favoring the continued existence of The Gardens, Executive Director of the Wyoming Union Eric Webb said The Gardens would not be entirely closed, but the food component of the facility would close.
“What we’re proposing to do moving forward is using that space for programming,” Webb said. “The lunch piece doesn’t work.”
Vice-President of Student Affairs Sara Axelson said a rumor about The Gardens’ license being moved to other institutions was untrue.
“We’re retaining the beer license to do special programming,” Axelson said. “Keeping The Gardens open buys us flexibility.”
Axelson and Webb’s announcements came after numerous announcements claiming university opinion is against the closure of The Gardens. First ASUW Vice President Ricardo Lind-Gonzalez read an ASUW resolution condemning administrators during the process and demanding more openness in processes regarding the Union. In the resolution, ASUW claimed recent decisions failed to include student input and there was a lack of student voice and transparency.
President of Academic Affairs Rachel Stevens also brought forth a poll of the university’s staff, revealing that staff was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping The Gardens open. Staffers said they would be willing to pay higher prices to keep The Gardens open. Stevens additionally relayed numerous rumors circulating among the staff. Some of these claimed that the university planned to move the liquor license or desired to eliminate alcohol entirely from campus.
Stevens said some in the College of Business expressed interests in students developing a marketing plan for The Gardens.
Webb said The Gardens would reopen at the beginning of the next semester, with a focus on programming, from Thursday night’s Studio Wyo to Friday’s International Coffee Hour. He said staff are still looking for entertainment for Wednesday nights.
Webb said the lunch service would be removed entirely, and food options would be replaced with appetizers. Due to university policies regarding alcohol, Webb said advertising regarding the beer available at The Gardens would not be allowed, but the events and appetizers could see promotion via advertising.
