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Many students say there isn’t much to do in Ackerman Union nowadays besides grab a bite to eat .

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Decades ago, students could bowl strikes and pick up spares in the Ackerman Student Union.

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Not only is it impossible to see UCLA students bowling in Ackerman Student Union today, but seeing students mix and mingle among the union’s hair salons and post offices is a rare moment, too.

“There’s nothing to do here except eat,” said second-year political science student Glen Chen, who picks Puzzles over Ackerman when it comes to choosing a spot to meet up with friends.

In the 1960s, Ackerman – complete with bowling alley and ping-pong room – was the epitome of a college recreation hall. But, over the years this symbol of socializing has succumbed to retail stores and services, as the Associated Students of UCLA have had to emphasize profit over recreation.

“We’ve struggled over the years to find a balance between making money and providing student services,” said Student Union Director Jerry Mann. “If you’ve got open space, what’s the victory?”

Because ASUCLA depends heavily on the retail stores and services for the majority of its profit, the existence of these services – which some say make Ackerman more like a place to run errands – is essential for the financial well-being of the union.

“There’s no life here in the building,” Mann said. “We’re still providing services to students, yet from a student union perspective, it’s not rich at all.”

The rarity of seeing student programs and activities is also due to lack of space in the union, Mann said. Though UCLA has one of the largest student unions in the country, the enormous student population causes Ackerman to be cramped.

Third-year electrical engineering student Allen Edwards believes overcrowding is the main reason he avoids spending time at the union.

“There’s too many people to be casual enough to be a regular hangout,” he said.

In response to their own growing student populations, UC Irvine, Davis and Riverside have recently passed a fee referendum to expand their student unions.

At UC Davis, a portion of the fee increase will go toward rebuilding the coffee house in Memorial Student Union and building a new community center to hold various student programs, said Alice Hannam, director of Memorial Student Union services.

Unlike other universities, whose student fees reach triple-digit figures, UCLA students only pay $7.50 per quarter in student union fees.

But, a raise in fees may be the only way to expand the space of the Student Union. The size of Kerckhoff Hall and Ackerman was sufficient to support the student population in the 1960s but, as UCLA’s enrollment increased later on, sufficient space in Ackerman decreased.

ASUCLA thus finds itself in a quandary. To appease the students’ social needs, Ackerman could be expanded. Such a proposal was suggested in early drafts of the Student Union Strategic Initiative, a set of ideas designed to make Ackerman more student friendly. But, in order to do that, student union fees would have likely been increased from $7.50 to about $60 annually.

As a result, ASUCLA’s board of directors rejected in November the Ackerman expansion plan, which would have added an additional 35,000 square feet to the union.

Expanding Ackerman would have added additional meeting rooms and study spaces.

Other ideas in the initiative, including the possibility of an on-campus pub, are still under consideration.

At other schools, students said their student center is the hubbub of activity.

“People just hang out there and chit chat over a cup of coffee or something,” said Hui Yan Wong, a second-year neurobiology student at UC Davis. “There’s Freeborn, a concert stage where people come here to perform.”

Notable entertainers who have performed in the past include Pink, Fuel and Sum41, Wong said.

At UC San Diego, the Price Center serves as the student union, and as the central meeting place for student activities.

“It’s definitely a hang-out place,” said Sonal Gupta, a third-year management science student at UC San Diego.

Gupta said when her professor was illustrating a game concept theory in her international relations class, he asked everyone to think of a place to meet. Every student answered, “the Price Center.”

But here at Ackerman Student Union, with the exception of the X-cape arcade, students reiterate again and again that there’s nothing to do.

“There’s a little arcade crew. I’m not necessarily a part of them, but they do exist,” Edwards said.

Other students echo the sentiment that X-cape doesn’t satisfy the needs of all.

“There’s video games and pool, but we’re not really into that,” said Cam Truong, a second-year graduate student in biomedical engineering.

Truong added that she would be in favor of the controversial pub in Ackerman because it offers more opportunities for students to socialize.

The possibility of a pub in the Cooperage is still under debate by various student groups.

“Personally, I think the pub is the plan that will be improving the union the most,” said Randy Hall, chairman of the board of directors.

The board visited student unions of several universities, including UC Irvine and Arizona University, this past year in order to get some fresh ideas on how to improve Ackerman.

Hall said he was impressed with California State University Fullerton’s study lounges, where students could check out CDs.

By implementing the components of the initiative, Hall hopes Ackerman will become more personable to students.

“As a student at UCLA, at such a big school, I can be intimidated by some of the places on campus,” Hall said.

“We don’t ever want students to be intimidated by Ackerman and Kerckhoff. The more we can get that message across, the better.”

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