By Leah Rogers

Contributing Writer

For the entire first semester, students wandered downstairs to the Bison Café and mailroom, walking by the temporary walls put up for construction and wondering what lay beyond them. The student-painted murals added some temporary flare to the downstairs Elaine Langone Center (ELC), but students were awaiting the final product. Well, as many of you have already seen, the construction is finally complete and the new student lounge is finally open. The new lounge is a great addition to the ELC and will benefit students for many years to come.

The lounge includes a variety of comfortable seating, from couches and comfy chairs to swivel chairs and tables. Students can go to the lounge to hang out with friends and watch TV on the nice flat-screen. They can sit and do homework in the student lounge for a change of scenery from the library and their dorm room. They can even eat there, with its convenient location right across from the Bison Café, students can bring food over and eat in a more comfortable setting.

“The lounge is that much-needed halfway home for all students to hang out, take a nap, study or send out mail!” Hannah Bohr ’14 said.

The new hang out spot is also home to the campus post office. The mailroom is right next door, so students no longer have to check their mail in one place and then make the trek over to Marts Hall to get stamps or send mail. The new location is much more fitting. Also finding its new home in the student lounge is the Campus Activities and Programs (CAP) center, formerly located on the third floor of the ELC. For many lazy students, walking up three flights of stairs could be quite the hike, so having the CAP center on the first floor is much more convenient.

Students can now more easily purchase tickets and sign up for events on campus on their way to check their mail or after eating at the Bison.

Students have been waiting for the lounge for a long time. The ELC holds the Bostwick Marketplace and the Bison Café, but there was no real place for students to just hang out and relax with friends. The new lounge gives students a place to do this.

“It’s very bright and inviting for anyone looking to rest and relax,” Joe Pagliaro ’14 said.

Students can kick back and enjoy free time they have between or after classes and on weekends while still being close to all of their necessities.