Student Activities Center to unveil study lounge

Behind a pile of cardboard boxes, ladders and paint supplies lies the Scott and Susan Kornspan Study Lounge, the last piece of the Student Activity Center (SAC) waiting to be completed.

“It’s going to be a nice, quiet area in a brand new facility for students to come as they need,” said Brandon Gross, assistant director of the SAC. “It’s a good move for the university. Obviously, the Richter Library is phenomenal, but giving students more spaces to get their work done, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

According to Gross, the room will look similar to the renderings – a “high-end room” with nice furniture, a screen for presentations if people want to practice, a UPrint machine and, mainly, a space for students to study.

The opening date is tentatively the third week of October according to Pat Whitely, vice president for student affairs. The opening ceremony will be Oct. 30 with Scott and Susan Kornspan in attendance.

Scott Kornspan was the former student government president twice in his time at school in the ‘80s. The lounge is named after him and his wife  for helping with the creation of the SAC by giving a donation.

“I mean it was a very gracious gift, and just a space that they felt would be helpful to utilize during the academic year,“ Gross said.

The idea behind the study lounge was to provide a space where students can study, which can be at any time of day as it could be open up to 24 hours if students have a need.

“I like the idea that you can study any time because you never know when you want to study, so you just come here,” freshman Tiffany Kerr said. “I see myself using the space because I’m the type of person that likes to study at night, so to have the space be so comfy and quite, I’ll just use it.”

The hours will be determined by how often students use the space in the first few weeks, months and semester.

“I think the 24 hours will come in to play during finals,” Whitely said. “But I’m not sure I can commit to 24 hours all during the entire year. It’s really going to depend upon how the students use the space and how it all plays out.”

Commuter students, like sophomore Max Armour, find the space a welcome convenience, allowing them to have access to somewhere on campus later in the evening.

“I think it’s really good because besides the library, there aren’t a ton of places where you can go at all times, especially if you want to go somewhere quiet, so I’m sure during the later hours, it should be a really nice place just to relax and stuff,” he said.

For students concerned about the later hours on campus, the SAC has security cameras all over the facility and someone behind the information desk at all times, as well as the option of accessing the UM Police Department security escort service.

The goal is to make it as convenient as possible for students by creating the schedule and opening the lounge based off their needs.

“It’s another 4,000 square feet, it really complements the SAC if you think about the study lounge and the opportunities for a study area within the entire building, and then a place that’s open as many of the hours as we’ve talked about and just another venue for students for their academic success,” Whitely said.

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Ashley Martinez
Ashley Martinez is a senior majoring in journalism and psychology, which have sharpened her people-watching skills. She has worked as a staff writer, copy editor, assistant editor and is now the Edge arts and entertainment editor at The Miami Hurricane. She serves as the president of UM's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Her work has been featured in The Hurricane, Distraction Magazine, The Communique, Gables Home Page and The Miami Herald. When she's not working on a story, she loves going to the theatre and singing show tunes.