“This is ridiculous. Why are they there?”

Chances are if you’ve ever walked through the University Community Centre atrium in the evening, you’ve seen a University Students’ Council sanctioned club using the space to practice their dance moves or juggling skills.

And unless you are a member of one of those clubs, you have probably heard someone mutter those words under their breath. I know I have. In fact, I’ve muttered them myself over the course of the year.

After all, it is pretty inconvenient and annoying to have to wade through a group of dancers to get anywhere in the UCC, considering how much traffic the atrium sees on any given day.

On the other side of the coin, it must be frustrating for the club members when people disrupt their routines or gawk at them while they practice.

Some of these groups have found their way into little corners in the basement or the third floor. But as many of the dancers will tell you, those locations are even worse.

So what are these clubs to do? If only there was a large empty space just steps away from the atrium begging to be used.

Ever heard of the UCC Gym?

Sure, the gym is occasionally in use, but the majority of the week — especially during evenings — the space is left empty and untouched.

So why don’t these clubs make use of the free space?

I recently asked the head of the Canadian Asian International Students’ Association that very question while they were practicing in the atrium. She told me it was too difficult to book a specific time for the club to use the gym, that it would cost too much and that it would be hard for them to share the gym with other groups. She added the gym would, however, be ideal if they could have access to it.

All of those issues fall squarely in the jurisdiction of USC Reservations. After talking with them, I found out booking the gym is rarely a problem, especially after 5 p.m. when it is free. In fact, it’s slotted under a drop-in policy — anyone can use it in the evenings.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say most clubs are unaware of these policies. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be empty for the majority of the day.

I’m aware it is probably too late in the year for my advice to make much of a difference, especially with gym renovations happening over the summer. But I think this is a enlightening example of the lack of communication between the USC and their clubs.

As a former club executive, I know firsthand that throughout the year the only interaction most clubs have with the USC is when they want access to their money. That’s not good enough.

That being said, this problem doesn’t solely fall on the shoulders of the USC. It’s not that hard to send a quick e-mail or walk over to the reservations office and find out this information. It only took me about five minutes.

So, if you’re an incoming executive of a club, or a part of the USC, please work together to solve this lack of communication. Failing to fix this problem will not only be a huge disservice to your clubs, but to the general student population as well.