Over the past few months, the third floor of Clark has found itself in a state of disarray. But on the first Thursday night of spring term, a group of students gathered in the new CGE lounge, candles and mood lighting adding ambience to the night as friends sipped tea and discussed their astrological fates. This kind of gathering is hoped to be a regular occurance from here on out as the epicenter of student life finds its new home in Clark Hall.
When students and staff went home over winter break in December, construction crews jumped in and worked tirelessly to transform the third floor into a brand new center for student life. Now, the completed floor offers not only a new location for student life services, but a gathering place for those searching for community at Pacific.
For the Center for Gender Equity, their old location in the basement of Carnegie Hall was not an ideal spot for these community events they wanted to offer to LGBT students on campus.
“The old office didn’t have space,” said Jaye Adams, Queer Program Coordinator for CGE. “It was used as an office, workroom, and lounge. But here now, right in the center of campus, we can have a better turnout and more connection. Plus, the vibe is super incredible.”
The CGE lounge is not only shaping up to be a home for LGBT students on campus, but for those in the Forest Grove community as well. At Tea and Tarot night, Forest Grove High School students Aubrey Crouch and Laurelynn Tullius joined with friends from Pacific for the night’s astrological gathering.
“This is the second thing we’ve gone to from CGE,” said Tullius. “We went to Rocky Horror too. I feel like it’s important to have a space where everyone can feel they belong and where you can find community.”
In addition, the new floor calls itself home to the Veterans Resource Center and Lounge, the Orientation Office, the Greek Life Executive Team, the Resident Housing Association, and the Transfer Student Services Office. There is also a new lounge specifically for transfer students, fitted with lockers and coolers for students to store lunch and other personal items while on campus.
As the new space continues to settle, those within student life hope that the new floor can live up to its potential and become a true hub and home for those on campus.
“We’re trying to offer one event per week for people to see what the third floor is all about,” says Denise Geisbers, Director of Transfer Student Services. As part of their new Hallway Happenings series, there will be a poster making party for the upcoming Womxn’s March on February 27th at 5:00 pm in the CGE Lounge. All are invited.
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