On April 8, Cal Poly’s Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) officially opened The Forum, a new campus facility available for reservation exclusively by official student organizations. Located in Building 19a, Room 126 of the Pavillion, The Forum serves as a venue for hosting discussions and speaker-focused events.
“Just imagine a TED Talk stage with even more power… it’s really cool,” Daren Connor, ASI’s Interim Director of Facilities Management, said.
In collaboration with Cal Poly Partners, ASI invested over $2 million into the space’s creation in an effort to reinvent that area of campus, according to Connor. The space was constructed hand-in-hand with the 1901 Marketplace, though the two are separate facilities.
In order to reserve The Forum, one must be affiliated with an official student organization. Students can create an Event Plan through ASI’s website, and from there, will be in contact with members of ASI to coordinate larger details.
“We’re launching use of that space in a really controlled manner because we’re still getting accustomed to all the technology and how to use it,” Connor said.
The Forum features a variety of audio and visual equipment, such as direct and theatrical lights that can highlight speakers and audiences in the room and wash colored light onto the walls. Additionally, the space features a variety of speakers and microphones, making it easy for students to live-stream events with high-quality sound.
When student groups reserve this space, they will be connected to an audio-visual ASI student employee, who can cater to the individual creative ideas and set-ups that students have in mind.
“If a student who wants to create an environment with lights and sound has a crystal clear idea of what they want the environment to look like…we can create it,” Connor said. “If the student from the group doesn’t have a clear idea, we’ll help coach them through it.”
The Forum was designed with wooden tiered bench seating, and the space can accommodate up to 100 people at a given time. The space also features a glass nanawall that, when unlocked, can be pulled and extended from both sides, creating a roughly 20-foot opening to the outdoors.
Though the space hasn’t yet hosted any student organizations, it is available upon reservation.