New Student Lounge Honors President Taylor

Dedication of the new student lounge in Seymour Union concluded with a surprise announcement. The Student Senate elected to name the new lounge Taylor Student Lounge & Game Room in honor of retiring President Roger Taylor. The announcement caught him off guard.

"For the first time in 10 years, I'm speechless," Taylor exclaimed.

In making the recommendation to the Board of Trustees and announcement to campus, Student Senate President Samantha Claypool noted Taylor's determination to move the renovation forward.

"One person who never took the student lounge off his radar screen was President Taylor," explained Claypool. "Without his support and persistence, I do not believe we would be standing here today cutting the ribbon on a new student lounge."

The Taylor Student Lounge consists of two areas: a general lounge space with tables, TVs, a stage and sound system; and a game room with pool tables, ping pong, and foosball, plus a kitchen/vending area with snack machines. Plenty of chairs, windows, and seating areas are intended to make the lounge a pleasant space to relax or study in.

Student input was sought to ensure that the furnishings, games, and equipment would be ones students would enjoy.

Student energy around the space began to grow in fall 2010, when President Taylor announced that construction would begin in November. When students returned in January from the winter break, construction was well underway, and students have been watching its progress via regular Web updates.

In addition to having a space to relax in or watch a movie, students now have a space to hold meetings or parties for the whole campus, a stage for bands or performers.

The project also included the installation of energy-efficient windows on the south side of Seymour Union.