The competition date for the new YUSU building has been pushed back after construction work hit problems.
The building was scheduled to be finished by the beginning of term, but the new plan is hoping for an opening in January.
YUSU President Tim Ellis said: “Unfortunately there have been delays in the building of the new Student Centre after various issues have cropped up during the last few months.”
However, the exact nature of these problems remain unclear. Sabbatical officers are currently located in the James Upper Common Room, and Ellis assures students that “all services are continuing as normal.”
The obscurity of the location in which the officers are currently situated casts doubt on their 2011 pledges to “ensure that your elected representatives are making you aware of what we are doing.”
The Student Centre will expand and redistribute office space currently used by Union staff and officers in the smaller building outside the Roger Kirk Centre and Maths Department.
The Centre will take over the building opposite, which is currently occupied by McQs. The new office spaces within the building will have a lounge area, adaptable for different meetings and events. The YUSU Studio next to Your Shop will still be in use, and the current centre will continue to house the Advice and Support Centre.
Last term, Director of Commercial Services Jon Greenwood commented: “the plans are two-fold. We need to improve the South entrance to the University and make it look more like a modern campus in line with Heslington East. Secondly, YUSU needs more office space and has shown a preference for this site.”
An estimated £2.2 million has been spent on the project, £500,000 of which has come from YUSU’s own money, while the University has funded the rest. Ellis said of the new centre: “it will provide a great new addition to the South side of campus, with much-needed new social space.”