Science representatives find space for new science students’ lounge

By Scott Strasser, January 29 2015 —

A students’ lounge for the faculty of science may open by fall 2016 in ST 142, according to Students’ Union science representative Keean Bexte. 

Bexte said science reps started working to secure a lounge last year and now have a space. 

Commonly known as the Elbow Room, ST 142 is a computer lab between Science Theatre’s two largest lecture halls, ST 140 and ST 148.

Bexte said the Elbow Room is the ideal location for the new lounge. The room is roughly twice the size of the arts lounge and can fit around 120 people. 

“The walls are all windows, it’s spacious, we can have office space for the students’ society, meeting space, lounging space, collaborative workspace — whatever the students want,” Bexte said. 

The SU was supposed to hold four focus groups to see what science students want the lounge to look like. However, Bexte said they will now send out a survey due to a lack of student interest in the focus groups. Undergrads in the faculty of science will vote on the results. 

The SU will then send students’ suggestions to administration for approval. 

Science is the second largest faculty at the U of C, but it’s the largest without a students’ lounge. The faculty houses 18 programs and has roughly 5,000 undergraduate students. 

While a Quality Money grant will fund most of the $100,000-200,000 needed for the lounge, Bexte hopes the faculty can secure corporate sponsorship as well.

“It would definitely be nice to have some industry sponsors. Imagine walking into the BP Science Lounge. That’d be awesome,” Bexte said.