By Trinity Velazquez

I can give you a million reasons why moving the bookstore was a bad thing for the students.

I could go on and on about how Northwestern State Marketplace’s parking is limited, how everything is cramped and cluttered or how customer service seems nonexistent, but I won’t—at least not now. I’m sure the university has its reasons for moving the bookstore, and because the bookstore has moved there is now a new opportunity to put something better in the space where the bookstore was.

By now, you may have heard that the administration wants the space to be an eSports arena. I’d never even heard of an eSports arena before word got out last week, but essentially, it’s a large computer lab where people can play video games.

Obviously, I’m not a big fan of the idea. I’m not a gamer, nor will I ever go out of my way to watch someone play a video game on a Friday night when there is something way more fun that I could be doing.

I’ve asked many students what they think should be done with the empty space in the Student Union. Everybody wants more food options, and I can’t blame them. I want better food options as well. Wouldn’t it be nice if we finally had a Whataburger?

Yes, the food idea is nice, but I believe that we need more fun on campus. Northwestern State University needs something that will help the students get to know one another more. What if we made the empty space into a lounge for students? What about a bowling alley? The empty space could even be an arcade with door prizes or maybe a dance club where students can take a break at night while still remaining safe on campus.

Regardless of what your take is on the empty room, it is important for the student body to make its voice heard. Talk to your student government senators and administration and tell them how you feel. We all want the school to be the best it can be, but that will only happen if the students are at their best.

Whatever NSU decides to do with the space, it needs to be beneficial to all students, not just a select few. It needs to be something we all agree on, because this is our university. Whatever we want this space to be should be priority and no one should make that decision for us. We are the spirit of Northwestern and this university is dedicated to one goal: ours.