Students may see the new Student Center addition as an opportunity to hang out with friends and relax, or even ideal for a cheap date.
Others may just like the smell of fresh paint and carpet. Whether students actually enjoy the space or not, many have been stopping by to check it out.
Approximately $30 million and 86,182 square feet later, the new Student Center is partially open. The first and second floors, the only floors currently operational, include the brand new game room and new movie theater The Reel.
According to Director of Student Services, Rita Calicat, the building’s goal is to enhance student life on campus. In the few days it has been open, many students have already started using the space.
Ariel Deleon, 19, a sophomore, found in the new game room what some students find in the library: a great place to do homework. According to Deleon, his suite at 1300 distracts him. When he is there, he said, he craves sleep.
Here you have more energy,” Deleon said. “I do my homework with other people, so I’m going to be here everyday if I know that other people will be, too.
Other students said they will hang out and play games, but only under certain circumstances. Ming Chen, a sophomore, said, “If we have to pay, I’ll go to the Pavilion. The tables there are free.
On the game room’s opening day, students could play endless amounts of pool, foosball, air hockey and ping pong for free. According to Piayon Lassanah, 17, a student worker, the games will eventually have a small charge, but hanging out and getting equipment is easy.
All you need to do is show me your student ID, Lassanah said. “If you need pool sticks, cards to play poker, anything, I get what you need.
According to the Office of Student Activities’ Web site, it’s just as easy to see a movie at The Reel since movies are shown seven days a week and as many as four or five times a day on weekends. According to Tyanne Stone, 21, also a student worker, the prices aren’t bad either.
It’s only $2 with your student ID card, Stone said. And it’s only $1 for movie sized candy.”
The Reel’s state of the art equipment, Calicat said, accommodates all students, including students with disabilities.
“There are some very special features that the cinema offers to our students like rear window captioning and descriptive video service,” Calicat said.
The cinema shows films programmed with captioning and audio descriptions to allow participation by patrons with hearing and vision disabilities.
The rest of the building, Calicat said, will open in mid-October. Another feature of the building will be a reservable space for student groups called The Underground.
On Saturdays, Calicat said, The Underground will host live bands and serve light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.
We will be able to handle a variety of sound needs in the space, Calicat said. Everything from small rock concerts to lecture, comedy and other special events.”
Yet, some students are not impressed by the new addition.
Henry Bendaulo, 21, said, “I like to play pool, but I’m not going to come here.”
“I’m a commuting student so I leave home early and leave here late. I just don’t have the time, or the money.
For more information visit: www.temple.edu/SAC.
Jillian Bauer can be reached at jilleeun@temple.edu.
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