Approval to begin planning the future of the old Bookie was approved by President Elson Floyd last night.

ASWSU President Jared Powell announced at the ASWSU Senate meeting Wednesday that Floyd approved initial planning to renovate the old Bookie, an ongoing plan put forth by Powell and Vice President LaKecia Farmer.

The plan is to turn the now-empty building into a Student Resource Center and Area that is centered on the need of students, Powell said.

“We really just want the building to be something that is fostered around the needs and wants of students,” Powell said. “LaKecia and I have both felt for a long time that that building is underutilized, in that it isn’t utilized at all.”

Now that Floyd has approved for the planning process to begin, Powell and Farmer will meet with Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment John Fraire and further discuss their plans.

Renovating the old Bookie was a point that Powell and Farmer ran on last spring.

“We personally may not see the results of the project, as it is quite long term, but it will benefit students for years to come,” Powell said.

ASWSU also unanimously appointed Sierra Elliott, a junior kinesiology major, to be President of Ku-Ah-Mah. Ku-Ah-Mah, which means “cougar” in Nez Perce, is the Native American Student Organization at WSU.

Reporting by Jonathan Carrigan

*This story has been updated from its original form to make information more clear.