If the purpose of the Old Union renovation is to provide a home for student groups, then it should look like home. At least that was the idea advanced yesterday during the town hall meeting hosted by Student Affairs and Capital Planning to present and discuss preliminary suggestions for floor plans and furnishings for the new Old Union.

Approximately 15 students attended the meeting, which was moderated by Assistant Dean and Director of Tresidder Memorial Union Jeanette Smith-Laws.

Future occupants of the renovated space met with Capital Planning representatives at a March 9 brainstorming session, producing the preliminary proposals that were presented yesterday. Outgoing ASSU Vice President Aneto Okonkwo, a senior, said that the initial plans were wide-ranging.

Attending students were divided into small groups and given large maps of the suggested floor space and exteriors of Old Union. They were then asked to brainstorm their own additions and modifications and evaluate their ideas.

“A lot of the student groups were excited about having more space,” said Jennifer Chen, a junior . “The interior design consultants were really receptive to students’ ideas, even the crazy ones. There was even a suggestion for a courtyard filled with trees and hammocks. If students liked it, planners took it seriously.”

Okonkwo said that more town hall meetings are slated for the future to refine general concepts and plans.

“The Old Union project is part of a multi-year effort which has involved students and administrators for many years,” he wrote in an email to The Daily. “The goals of these meetings are to collect a wide range of opinions on the needs of students and attempt to refine these requests as we move forward.”