Do you know where Hawley Lounge is?

A recent survey conducted by student government actually showed that a few students didn't even realize the lounge existed. Students can be confident that everyone on campus will know where Hawley Lounge is located by next year, however, as administration is currently working on a renovation that will begin this summer.

The student government executive board met with Dr. David Coppola, assistant vice president for administration at the university and Jim Barquinero, vice president for enrollment planning and student affairs, on Wednesday March 12, to discuss the proposed renovation.

"The biggest thing is that no one ever really goes in there. We hand out these surveys and some people are like 'where's Hawley Lounge?' and that's the scary part. If you have people that don't even know where Hawley Lounge is, to me that's a problem," said Student Government President, junior Matt Telvi.

The board expressed their concern that, while most students seem to know where the lounge is located on campus, the student recreation space has become more or less wasted space, as its run down conditions are less then appealing.

"I speak for everyone, I hope, when I say that the biggest problem with that room is that it's one big open room you can't really split it up. As it is right now, I don't think it serves its purpose," said senior Amanda DeMatteis, president of the class of 2008.

The general consensus at the conclusion of the meeting was that while an immediate renovation will be made, a larger, more extensive renovation will be conducted in the near future. As the room is one of the few "student" spaces on campus, it is expected to accommodate a lot of needs in one area and major reconstruction will eventually need to occur to better utilize the space.

"I think Hawley needs to serve three purposes. You need your offices, you need to have a space where people can sit down and study and do things because people can't only meet in the mahogany room and you need the entertainment aspect of the room," said DeMatteis.

"So, I think there has to be a way to culminate all three into one area. There is nowhere for people to study, the tables in there are gross and you can't watch TV because the echo in the room makes the TV so loud that if your trying to think on the other end of the room, you have absolutely no idea what's going on. So, it needs to be more than just one type of an atmosphere."

Ideas were proposed in the meeting to alter everything from the carpeting, to the games offered, and even the structure of the room to allow it to function better. Basic reconstruction will also include the replacement of the windows in the lounge as well as the renovation of the heating ventilation and the air conditioning system. Alterations to make the room handicap assessable are also being looked into as it currently provides no access to handicapped individuals

"Right now, tours are embarrassed to take people in there because it's just not a great space. I think that we spend the majority of the time in there because our offices are in there. And we see and hear things that not everyone does and I think that that's why we want to take this to the forefront," said senior Kelly Linskey, vice president for S.E.T.

Careful planning is being put into place and student input is being strongly taken into consideration. Coppola mentioned that Sasaki architects were recently hired to assess the campus grounds and guide the school in renovating.

"We don't want to just fix one thing here and not look at the whole picture, so that's why Sasaki is saying, well here's the big picture. Here's when you roof is going to stop working. Here is when you're going to need to replace your boiler. And so let's try to do things together in coordination," said Coppola.

Coppola and Barquinero revealed multiple transformations that Sacred Heart will undergo within the next few years as the school expands, but recognized the urgent need to fix Hawley Lounge as part of as part of a "movement towards better student living conditions."

"I thought the meeting was very helpful and the students were able to communicate their priorities for making the Student Life experience at SHU a better one. Part of that improvement is envisioning better utilization for Hawley Lounge as well as future expansions or buildings. I am very hopeful that we can begin right after graduation, especially on the long lead items" said Coppola.

Telvi also felt the meeting was successful and stated that he is planning on continuing to meet with advisors to see the project through.

"Student Government takes 'student space' as one of those important needs for the university and most importantly, its student body, and hopes that by continuing to work with administration our voices will be heard and Sacred Heart can start to improve the situation," said Telvi.