Western students will have more places to take a load off when they trudge up the Hill next fall.

Student Government Association voted Tuesday night to spend over $14,000 on campus projects. Those projects include adding seating around campus and building a volleyball court in the Valley.

Five thousand dollars will be used to add tables to the front of Downing University Center next to Subway. Nick Todd, author of the campus projects resolution, said facilities management employees told him that the costs of adding seating outside of Subway would not be covered in the DUC renovation, which is underway.

The resolution states that seating in this area is not adequate enough to serve the needs of students.

Another $5,000 will be spent to replace seven wooden benches across campus and add four new ones. Todd also said that by next fall, the wooden benches around Grise Hall, Bates-Runner Hall, McLean Hall, fine arts center, Gilbert Hall, north DUC, Schneider Hall, Rodes-Harlin Hall and Tate Page Hall will be replaced.

Four benches will be added to areas around Meredith, Zacharias, Barnes-Campbell and Bemis Lawrence residence halls.

Two thousand dollars will be allotted for added seating behind McLean. The addition of seating behind McLean was recommended to SGA members by Brian Kuster, director of Housing and Residence Life.

The resolution states that the area behind McLean is one that receives a great deal of traffic but lacks adequate seating for students.

SGA Congress member John Law said that, as a resident of McLean, he was against the resolution because it would place seating directly under residents’ windows.

Law said this would create a great deal of disturbance for McLean residents and urged Congress to table the resolution until McLean residents could be polled.

Todd said the traffic level around McLean during the day consisted mostly of people traveling to class. These tables would provide a place for students to congregate during lunch hours and between classes.

“I am almost a hundred percent confident it won’t be a problem,” Todd said. “And if it does become a problem, these benches and seats can be moved.”

The resolution was not amended in anyway and was passed.

All outdoor furniture will be purchased from the Armor Coat Company.

Congress also voted to give $2,500 to finish the construction of a volleyball court in the Valley.

SGA has had previously allotted money to build a volleyball court in the Valley. But because of construction on campus, SGA members were told the court would not be a high priority. Facilities management workers recommended SGA contribute money to hire a contractor to build the court.

The resolution that passed Tuesday night will help cover the cost of hiring such a contractor.

“Basically, they told me that they would prefer if we could hire a contractor,” Todd said. “If we had to wait on the campus, it could be a while (because of current construction projects). It would be easier to have someone else do it.”

Reach Adriane Hardin at [email protected].