By Shea Ramsey
For many students at U of L, college life doesn’t end with the last class of the day. Aside from studying, working, attending RSO meetings and just relaxing, students say campus still needs one thing: more spaces built around student life itself.
U of L’s Swain Student Activities Center, widely referred to as the SAC, serves as a hub for student life on campus. It offers dining, lounges, meeting rooms and event spaces. The university has more than 400 student organizations and 11 residence halls. Even so, students would like more casual spaces to hang out between classes without having to study, attend a meeting or spend money.
This is especially true during those schedule gaps that are too short to justify going home, but too long to go to class early and sit in the room.
“I just think there should be more places where we can all feel comfortable to just hang out without feeling like we have to be doing homework or spending money,” said Bella Kirby, a U of L senior. “Sometimes you have a few hours between classes, which can be a good time to find somewhere comfortable to sit with your friends or chill.”
The university offers gathering spots like the SAC’s lounges, the Red Barn and Ekstrom Library, which is open 24 hours most days during the school year. But those locations are concentrated to two specific areas of campus. If you’re at a less central building, those may not be good options.
More outdoor seating could help. During warmer months, students often look for places to eat lunch, study or hang out with their friends outside. More tables, shade and green space could encourage them to stick around after class instead of heading straight back home.
“I feel like there are a lot of basic student areas, but nothing that makes me want to stick around campus more than I need to,” said Andrew Brown, also a U of L student. “More non-academic-based activities, events and places to hang out would make the campus feel more like a community and a place I’d wanna be at instead of just a place where you go to class.”
Students say fixing campus life doesn’t require one big new building, but that smaller changes could go a long way. More comfortable seating, shaded outdoor areas, extended hours in already popular spots, more affordable food and more free student events could all make it more appealing to stick around campus throughout the day.
College isn’t just about classes, assignments and a big area full of large buildings. Many of the best experiences happen in the social aspects that exist on campus before and after classes. As U of L keeps growing, students feel those everyday moments should continue to be a focus of the conversation about campus’s future.
Feature Photo by Vinny Porco / The Louisville Cardinal
