By Spencer Vadnais and Kevin McDonnell
Image by the Office of Student Affairs
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – NU is moving forward with plans to create a new Sports Lounge in O’Shea Hall. The space is projected to come online in a late fall semester opening and will include, as a part of it, an eSports lounge for the relatively new club.
The Sports Lounge seeks to utilize 2,200 square feet of space that was made available in the first floor of the building. To put that in perspective, this space is comparable to that of the average home in the United States.
The project, a $480,000 undertaking, will feature five 70-inch-wide screen TVs. Each TV viewing area will feature flexible seating and recessed built-ins where the TVs will be housed. Inside of each built-in will feature individual outputs for both audio and video allowing students to customize the space to their interests at a given time.
Chris Sheffield the Vice President of Student Affairs said the goal of the Sports Lounge is to give students a place to get together.
“The purpose is really to give students a space on campus where they can be engaging with one another,” Sheffield said. “One of the things we know, and we hear from students, is we don’t have a lot of spaces on campus where they want to hang out and feel comfortable, and that’s, what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
Sheffield’s enthusiasm about the project and its potential to improve the overall student experience was more than apparent. Facility Planner Daniel McMann shared that same enthusiasm.
“[The Sports Lounge offers an] …opportunity to help meet student social needs and create a unique hang out experience on campus.”
He went on to mention that the Campus Master Plan will feature additional projects aimed at the improvement of student experience.
The Sports Lounge offers another venue on campus in which students can take advantage of the collegiate social experience. No longer will Gally stand alone as the only place to hang out with friends.
Niagara Wire 