From left: Jacob Ruppal, Adam Burke, Alex Getty, Josh Smith, Conner Finlay, David Pisano.
Maegan Gindi

In a world filled with fear and conflict, security practices and research are of the utmost importance, or so one would think. The Security Practices and Research Student Association (SPARSA), a Student Government (SG) recognized club, has found itself without a home once again. According to Alex Getty, a fourth year Applied Networking and System Administration student and President of SPARSA, the club has struggled to maintain a permanent location on campus.

The club, which started in 2001 shortly after the events of September 11, was formed in response to the growing importance of security in the modern era. Per Getty, “There was no student academic organization that focused on security... It started with four or five guys who were writing papers on security.”

SPARSA’s first “office” was a small closet on the second floor of the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (GCCIS), stated Getty. “The area was fairly small, but it did what we wanted it to do.” However, after about eight months, they were asked to vacate the closet, forcing the group to pack up their equipment and relocate it to Getty’s apartment. “My living room was full of computers. It stayed that way for two months,” recalled Getty.

After following the chain of command, he eventually found himself e-mailing President William Destler, who was just starting his term. “He responded to my e-mail within 15 minutes [and] personally put someone on our case... and she had us an office within two days... It was amazing.”

“As of two weeks into this summer... with the Golisano Institute of Sustainability coming in, they needed that space, which is an office with an adjoining larger space... they were going to use that space for a new department,” said Getty, who once again had to begin the arduous process of finding office space. “Part of this is that we’re all real students, and we all have real jobs… it seems like I’m always getting hammered with requests to move,” says Getty.

SPARSA is currently looking to SG for help in obtaining club space. Unlike many clubs, SPARSA requires a permanent place to store and provide power and network access to different research projects. SG guidelines, however, do not provide clubs with permanent meeting spaces.

While the new SAU renovations will provide more club space, they will be shared among approximately 180 student organizations that SG currently recognizes. Clubs that require permanent areas, such as the Mini-Baja Club and the Micro-Air Vehicle Club, are provided with such areas through specific colleges.

SG has requested more information about the situation the club is facing, said Matt Danna, a third year Information Technology student and Acting President of SG, but has yet to receive return correspondence on the matter. Given more details, SG would be happy to meet with SPARSA and GCCIS, according to Danna.