With all the new changes to PPHAC, I personally think that the lockers near the HUB desk are the best and most refreshing addition.
These lockers are located in the first hallway to the right of the HUB desk and near the vending machines. As a commuter, I love having a secure space where I can place textbooks, lotions, and other items; it really lessens my backpack load!
Before I had a car, I relied heavily on public transportation every day, which meant that I was carrying quite a lot in my backpack. You can imagine the back-hurting exhaustion this caused me when I needed to bring things for my extracurriculars. However, having a locker made things early. For example, if I needed to bring my record player for a club event, I would just bring it a day early and safely place it in my locker instead of hauling it the day of.
Even when I finally got my car, my locker was my lifeline, especially on days when I was carrying so much and did not feel like hauling an absurd amount of bags back to my car. I’m the president of the Humanities Club and we recently just finished our highly anticipated Humanities Appreciation Week. I was very stressed with the amount of items I had to bring for each day and my car was slowly getting overloaded. However, I utilized the heck out of my locker and it saved me from further exhaustion that I already had from lugging everything from my car.
The lockers are so spacious too! Compared to the slim and inadequate ones my high school had, these lockers are compact and can fit quite a lot. For reference, at one point, I had my record player, two vinyls, four to five books, a textbook, and a large gift bag in there and I still had some space for extra items!
The process of requesting a locker was fairly simple. On the lockers, there are little request slips with QR codes that direct you to a Google form where you enter the locker you wish to use. As soon as I requested my locker, Emma Miller, assistant director of Conference and Event Management, quickly contacted me and even placed a hold paper on my locker to prevent others from taking it; I really appreciated how swift and organized the process was!
Finally, I love the fact that my friends will stop by and leave notes/items in my locker. It makes me quite nostalgic for high school and it feels like I’m truly living my coming-of-age fantasy film to the fullest!
If you’re looking to lessen your backpack load as a commuter or even as a resident who lives on South but is constantly on North, I highly recommend requesting a locker next semester; just remember to bring your own lock! You – and your back – will be glad that you did!
