As students walked into the Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs’ new office Saturday, they left their shoes at the door.
Michael Ngo, a UF nutritional science junior, helped plan the grand opening of the APIA Affairs’ new space on the second floor of the renovated Reitz Union. This is the first university-funded space for APIA students in the Southeastern U.S.
“It took a while for us to plan the grand opening, because there were a lot of things we wanted to incorporate,” the 21-year-old said. “A lot of activities, decorations, things like that.”
The planning process took about two months, he said, beginning this semester.
APIA Affairs moved to the Reitz because its office in Peabody Hall was small and shared with UF’s LGBTQ+ Affairs, then called LGBT Affairs, Ngo said.
The group started moving materials the third week of January, he said. It finished last week.
“We even had to buy a vacuum cleaner because we’ve never had our own space,” Ngo said.
The new space will offer an APIA library where students can read about past members. He said he hopes the office is a space for students to relax.
“It will be a great place to hang out and de-stress,” Ngo said.
Lucy Geer, a UF psychology senior, said she liked the grand opening ceremony.
“Everything is up to date,” the 22-year-old said. “I wish they had this when I first came to UF.”
