Sit and stay a while. Or at least don’t go home.
That’s the message the University is hoping to send to it’s nearly 1,800 on-campus residents by possibly renovating the commuter lounge and turning it into a late-night fun zone.
The new lounge could include entertainment, such as arcade games, foosball, video game stations and a karaoke stage. The lounge would be open until midnight or later.
The administration hopes the new lounge will entice on-campus residents to stay at ULM on the weekends, rather than going home because there’s nothing fun to do, according to Brook Sebren, coordinator for Auxiliary Services who’s been researching this project.
“They want this to be a place everybody calls home. There shouldn’t be a reason to leave,” said Sebren.
In addition to the games, Grille Works and Bene Pizzeria would also be open during late hours.
Sebren lead a focus group of nine students with various backgrounds to brainstorm ideas for more on-campus entertainment. Sebren said all of them agreed there was a need for such a fun zone on campus.
Residents seem to agree, but not everyone is sure the plan will keep people here.
“I don’t think it’ll matter. I think they want to see their families,” said resident Alex Bourgeois, a junior pre-toxicology major from New Orleans.
However, Bourgeois does think the lounge would be a good addition because there is “nothing to do here.”
“You can play sports but other than that, you’re pretty much bored,” he said. Bourgeois said the lounge would keep him occupied, especially if there were pool tables.
People who frequent the lounge bitterly opposed an attempt last semester to renovate the lounge to add more dining space. Among them was Aaron Dowis, who served as the lounge’s representative in the focus group. He said he and his friends were much more receptive to this plan.
“I would definitely say expanding makes it a lot better,” said Dowis, a freshman pre-pharmacy major from Shreveport. “People have nothing to do between class.”
Sebren said none of the plans have been finalized. He said officials are still looking at other potential locations before making a final decision.
If the commuter lounge ends up being the chosen place, security cameras and card-swipe doors would need to be installed. Cost estimates are unavailable since so much is still up in the air.
Sebren said the University hopes to have the fun zone, wherever the final location may be, open by the beginning of the fall semester.