It’s difficult to imagine the 260,000-square-foot building that is the HUB demolished, but that’s what is going to happen this July. Most of the HUB residents will move to Condon Hall starting June 14.

Because the HUB move affects so many students, an organization called the HUB Renovation Advertisement to Students (R.A.T.S.) was created to educate faculty, staff and students about the HUB renovation process in an interactive, fun way to learn about the project instead of through an e-mail or survey.

“We’ll be the ‘Ask me about the HUB’ people,” said Dalia Amin, ASUW director of diversity efforts and a leader of the HUB R.A.T.S.“A lot of people and organizations are upset about [the move] because they have events in the HUB. [They’re worried about their] budget, movement, location and in general, the resources available to them. We just want to let the students know through these presentations that none of that’s going away; it’s just being moved. We’re still going to have funding for the student groups, and there are still going to be different locations that the students can use that are available to them.”

Amin and 14 other HUB R.A.T.S. leaders are seeking volunteers to staff the groups that will present to any organization or group interested in learning more about the HUB renovation process. As soon as the plans are finalized — they hope by next week — the presentations will include information about the transition to Condon Hall, where most HUB entities will be located for the two-year period while the HUB is being rebuilt. They hope to be ready to start presenting to any group that requests it in the first week of February and to continue to present through spring quarter.

Residents of the HUB, such as the ASUW, the Graduate and Professional Student Senate, the Student Activities Office, HUB administration, Student Conduct, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and many other entities, will be occupying three full floors in Condon Hall. While Amin assures that resources for students and organizations will remain available at Condon Hall, the new location won’t be centralized like the current HUB or have the 2,000 square feet of open space for students to do homework and meet with friends.

“We’re sort of saying [Condon is the] ‘mini-HUB,’ but I don’t think it’s going to become the student union for the 41,000 students at the institution,” said Lincoln Johnson, associate vice president for Student Life and director of Student Activities and Union Facilities. “I think it will be a connection point; I think it will be a clearing house; I think it will be a place to find out information about organizations and planning, and programs, and events, but I don’t think it’s going to be the hangout.”

But Johnson recognized the flexibility of students and thinks that they will find alternative places to spend their time between classes.

The dining area of the HUB is a central place for many people to eat on campus, but that will not be available in Condon, so Housing and Food Services (HFS) is working to utilize other dining areas on campus for lunch.

“We are meeting with Eric Godfrey (vice provost of Student Life) next week to talk about plans, but nothing is concrete yet because we want to make sure that things are financially doable,” said Debbie Proctor, administrator for HFS.

One of the major concerns about the move is having so many resources located on the outskirts of campus, further away from some students and less convenient to them as they walk from class to class. Amin hopes that future ASUW employees and other HUB staff make the effort to work with students to overcome location issues.

“The spirit and the meaning of the HUB is not going away for two years, it’s just being moved to a different location, and we hope to keep that alive in Condon,” Amin said. “We’re not going to say the HUB’s gone; we’re going to say it’s in Condon now.”

Reach reporter Lael Telles at news@dailyuw.com.