Correction appended
The Office of Campus Life opened a lounge in the East Quad Building and in the library near the Mudbox to build a sense of community among commuter and transfer students.
Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson said in a speech at the EQB opening ceremony that the Transfer Student Association has expressed desire to create a better sense of community for transfer students.
Vice President of Campus Life Gail Hanson spoke at the opening ceremony of the AU Commuter Lounge on the first floor of EQB Jan. 18.
Hanson said the Transfer Student Association and AU Veterans had lobbied for the space that would create a sense of community for students who commuted to campus.
“The transfer students need a better sense of place here on campus,” she said at the ceremony. “Since that is not going to be in the dorm, they suggested a lounge that would allow a place to store their belongings during the day, socialize, study and meet each other would be the ideal thing.”
Scott Jones, the director of operations of the University Center, was the project manager of the lounges. He was responsible for installing the furniture and decorations of the lounge as well as the assembly of the 72 lockers in EQB and 36 lockers in the library.
Jones explained that the lockers are open to commuter students to use during the day but become unavailable after the building closes in order to ensure that no student will monopolize a locker for multiple days at a time.
Jones and his crew also installed more electrical outlets for student use.
After the grand opening of the Commuter Lounge in EQB, the administrative staff visited the basement of the Bender Library where the Commuter Corner is located.
The enclave, previously a reserve desk in the library, is equipped with 36 day-lockers and intended to be used as a smaller space — and one that is also handicap-accessible — for graduate students and commuters to study and store material, said University Librarian Bill Mayer.
As most living space on campus is occupied by freshmen, sophomores and faculty, finding space for the lounge was difficult.
Hanson said the space in EQB has always been a haven for students and seemed the perfect fit for the lounge.
“This space was a little bit special because it had a tradition as the Davenport Lounge and it was built in a little different way,” Hanson said.
Administrators wanted to uphold the integrity of the space that, according to Hanson, was once the Davenport Chapel, and to keep the area an important part of AU students’ lives for years to come. Inside the lounge, students can still see the steps that once held the altar and the tapered ceiling that resemble the older use of the space.
A previous version of this article incorrectly implied that the reporters had spoken with Transfer Student Association President Christina Rodriguez. At the opening ceremony, Gail Hanson, not Rodriguez, said the Transfer Student Association was looking to build community. The version has since been updated to accurately reflect the events.
