Students lounging on the bottom floor of the Union will no longer hear the crack of pool sticks on cue balls coming from Tiger Pause Billiards.
Union communications and marketing coordinator Heather Bilodeau said the billiards company declined to renew its lease when it ran out on Aug. 15.
To fill the vacancy, the Union will distribute proposal requests to the community within the next few months, Bilodeau said.
Any service or business can submit proposals to the Union. Once the requests are in, retail development director Stephen Barr will decide which one best fits the space.
Bilodeau said student surveys prompted Union staff to ask specific vendors about the space, but the business must submit a proposal.
Optometrist and nail salon came up frequently in the survey, as well as various food vendors, Bilodeau said. But a UREC satellite facility and other University-operated entities could be considered.
The nine coin-operated billiards tables, which used to house casual players and organized tournament competitors alike, remain locked in the Union until further notice. There is no projected date to have a contract signed and the space filled.
Torin Hawkins, philosophy junior, said billiards provided a relaxed environment for him between classes, and he would like to see billiards back in the space.
“It was a big part of the Union,” said political science junior Muhammad Ahsan. “We have a lot of food choices, but I’d like somewhere to relax, sit back and enjoy myself.”
Marketing and sports administration sophomore Sara Adoue also shot pool to kill time between classes and said the billiards provided an activity to do in the Union besides sitting and eating.
Computer science freshman Chaselan Eames never got to use the billiards room, but he said something similar to billiards, like old-style arcade games, would make a good addition to the space.
Eames also suggested a Taco Bell or Quiznos, saying another restaurant would reduce lunchtime traffic.
Students proposed other eateries, including Wendy’s and Popeyes, along with dessert vendors like an ice cream or snow cone stand.
Political science freshman Joseph Williams said there are plenty of food options on or near campus, and the possibilities for the space are unlimited.
“I’d like to see something a variety of people would like to use,” Williams said.
The billiards space change is one on a long list of recent Union renovations. The art gallery revamp and new Olinde Career Center show the Union altering to accommodate shifting student need.
Billard room in the LSU Student Union will be closing in the future October 8, 2014.
