“A Place for Students, By Students”

By Eve Zhu

We are excited to announce a new addition to Park Hall: a student lounge. Located in Room 317, the lounge offers a welcoming space for students to study, eat, hang out, or simply relax between classes.

Home to the English and Classics departments, Park Hall is often the first academic building students encounter through First-Year Writing. Thus, the building is quite full, and for years, students did not have a place spend time in the building outside of class.

That changed when a suite of rooms became available on the third floor. Dr. Nancee Reeves, Principal Lecturer and faculty advisor for the Undergraduate English Association (UEA), proposed transforming the space into a student lounge to foster a greater sense of belonging and community in Park Hall. 

“Park Hall is a wonderful building, with historic importance and character, but space is short, and there was no place for students to congregate before, after, or between classes,” Reeves said. “So when a suite of rooms became available on the third floor, I suggested we turn them into a student lounge. The whole department was supportive of this initiative.”

The creation of the lounge was a collaborative effort across the department. Dr. Ed Pavlic and African American Studies donated gently used furniture, the Special Collections Libraries provided art, and Park Hall’s office/building manager Laurie Norris helped to get the walls painted, provided space heaters, and assisted with countless details that helped bring the space together.

English Department Head Roland Végső praised the sense of belonging the lounge brings: “Park Hall is more than just an academic building where they take classes. It is also their home base, and having a dedicated lounge reinforces that sense of belonging. A shared space encourages conversation, collaboration, and community, making the building not just a place to study, but a place to thrive.”

Once the space was approved, Dr. Reeves brought the idea to the UEA, putting students at the center of the renovation and design process. Current UEA president Sophie Belnap emphasized that student ownership is central to the project: “We really wanted the lounge to be a place for students, by students, in Park Hall. Hundreds of people cycle through the building every day, but there was never a place for them to really sit and relax, eat lunch, or study with friends.”

The funds for the renovation came when the UEA successfully applied for a Parent Leadership Grant. Former UEA president and 2024 graduate Dani Antonio García-Pozo wrote the grant.

“If there's one thing that I noticed as president of the UEA, it was the lack of community spaces for English majors,” García-Pozo said. “For as many students as there were in the major, it seemed we seldom had the chance to get to know each other outside of classes. Even for non-English majors, Park Hall lacks accessible areas to sit, study, or work."

The generous grant offered by the Parent Leadership Council allowed the UEA to purchase additional furniture for the lounge, as well as a mini fridge and a microwave, which allows it to better serve students in transit. 

After its first semester, the student lounge has already exceeded expectations. 

“When it opened, we worried that it would be difficult to find, way up on the third floor, or that the incomplete furnishings would turn people away,” Belnap said, "but it is rare to find the lounge unoccupied. It is in nearly constant use as students study, relax, socialize, and attend events, before, between, and after classes.”

The UEA plans to continue developing the lounge in the coming semester. Future plans include additional furnishing, programming, and a bulletin board where the English Department and students can post flyers, informational sheets on opportunities for English students, and other fun, informative resources.

Students are encouraged to share their thoughts and help shape the space: “Much of the work that has already gone into the lounge has been informed by student feedback, and we will continue to read all questions, comments, and concerns and shape the direction of the lounge accordingly. Anyone who has feedback should post it in the suggestions box, which is located on the shelves just inside the door.”