TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona's student newspaper will be displaced by a new campus project.
The Arizona Daily Wildcat's newsroom space at the Park Student Union, 615 N. Park Ave., will be repurposed, along with the rest of the building, as the UA Global Center in a $1 million renovation project.
The Global Center will coordinate international study services, including international faculty and study abroad students. Passport services, international recruitment, admissions and marketing will all be part of the renovated facility.
The first phase of the project is slated to finish by the end of 2019, the Arizona Daily Wildcat reports.
UA Student Media, which includes the Daily Wildcat, is waiting to see where it will move, said Arizona Student Media director Brett C. Fera.
“Where student media will move to hasn’t been determined as of yet, but various stakeholders are working on that and have been for weeks, since the likely change to Park Student Union became known," he said. "University units like Arizona Student Media, the Division of Campus Life, UA Global, Space Management and Planning Design and Construction have all been part of those discussions and I presume all will be until a solution is found.”
UA Provost Jeffrey Goldberg released a statement on the situation Friday:
"We are committed to finding a permanent home for Arizona Student Media that is appropriate for the vital services our student journalists provide. We will not move forward with plans for the UA Global Center until we find equitable and fair space for the Daily Wildcat, KAMP Student Radio, and UATV. This is our first priority.
"We have been in conversations with the Director of Arizona Student Media and colleagues in the Planning, Design, and Construction Department to identify space possibilities based upon the Director’s information, i.e. floorplans, square footage, and central campus locations. We are working collaboratively to find a solution that meets the needs of the students and staff of Arizona Student Media.
"As we continue the design and planning phase for the UA Global Center, we welcome input from the UA community, particularly from students and alumni of Arizona Student Media. We will work tirelessly in the coming days to ensure Arizona Student Media has an equitable space.
"We look forward to finding a solution that serves everyone."
