This year ought to have been an exciting one for student groups looking to utilize Washington University’s new space. Not only did the University build a student center that is easily accessible and a hub for student life, but it revamped a failing Event Services Department to make the process of reserving space easier and more accessible. Unfortunately, the new Event Services process is no better than the old, and groups have not been able to take as much advantage of the Danforth University Center (DUC) as hoped.

The positive aspect of the new process for reserving space is that it is web-based. Moving the process onto the Internet does make it more accessible to students. However, when Event Services responds slowly or fails to respond to student requests for space, it doesn’t matter how easy it is to place a request. Event Services has been plagued with an inability to respond to groups and a tendency to double-book. At best Event Services is inconvenient and slow, and at worst it is entirely ineffective.

Booking a space should not be this hard. A wonderful example of an Internet-based calendar that works phenomenally well is the calendar used by many of the Deans in Arts & Sciences. Once given a password, students can log-in and see when their dean is available and then reserve a time to meet. This calendar is easily accessible to students and it prevents overbooking. The technology and system are already in place for this calendar; let’s find a way to expand it so that it can also be used for reserving space for groups.

Every student group must find space to meet in order to continue functioning and enriching the University community. Because this need is so basic to every group and the University’s inability to meet this need impairs so many students, changing the system should be on the University’s list of priorities. Event Services needs to become more customer-service oriented so that it is a tool students can use to have successful events rather than an obstacle they must overcome. The changes do not need to be complex—the University could just expand and re-implement an existing program—but the changes would have significant effects. It’s time to take the small steps to finally solve the nightmare of using Event Services.