Students on the east side of campus — also known as the “Greyside” — have a new option for dining and gathering with the opening of the Bundy Café and Lounge on Feb. 1.
According Assistant Dean of Students for Student Engagement Travis Hill, a grand opening coordinated by Student Activities and Residential Life will take place on Feb. 13 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM to officially introduce the new space.
The impetus behind the repurposing of the dining hall space came from students living down the Hill who voiced concerns about feeling disconnected and isolated from other students and the rest of campus.
“Early in my time here, I began to hear complaints about Bundy and how isolated students who live in that area felt,” said Dean of Students Terry Martinez. While students who live on the north and south sides of campus have always had relatively easier access to dining and social spaces, the hundreds of students who live on the East side did not.
Martinez said she worked closely with students to understand their needs as the College planned the new space. While not a full dining hall in the same vein as Commons or McEwen, the Bundy Café and Lounge will offer light food options in the mornings and evenings, when students are usually closer to their dorm spaces.
“The idea was to have a convenient place to grab a healthy snack or breakfast when it was too cold or inconvenient to come back up this hill,” said Noelle Niznik, Director of Student Activities. Bundy Café is also equipped with a printer, charging stations, an upgraded television, and new furniture, all of which Martinez says were included in student feedback.
While food will be served only during morning and evening hours, the lounge will initially be open from 7 AM to midnight, Monday through Thursday. It will open at 10:00 AM on the weekends and stay open until 2:00 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. According to Martinez, the College will monitor how students use the space and may adjust its hours and functions as appropriate to meet student needs.
Another issue Martinez hopes the new space will address is student interest in alcohol-free weekend programming.
“I have heard from numerous students […] about a desire to have options for socializing with others that did not necessarily include alcohol and that might be different from the late night events already hosted on campus,” Martinez explains.
The Student Activities Office plans to work with students to develop programming of that kind in Bundy. Student groups will be able to reserve the lounge at certain times, but Bundy will not be available for events where alcohol is served, as it was in previous years. Martinez says that fewer student groups were reserving Bundy for events, so it made sense to repurpose the space for broader use by students, especially those living down the Hill.
According to Martinez, the Bundy Café and Lounge is just one step in a broader effort to shape the residential experience at Hamilton to promote regular student interaction in and out of the classroom that contributes to a healthy learning environment, as envisioned in the College’s 2018 strategic plan.
Martinez says she is contemplating additional improvements to the dorms and resources on the east side of campus in an effort to foster a “neighborhood” feel. She adds that she will continue to seek student feedback on the Bundy Café and Lounge before formally deciding on next steps.
