LAURA LAPHAM — Through this past semester at Denison there was a lot of discussion on new public spaces with meetings, surveys and even an opportunity to submit your own plan for a new public space. However, now there is more solidified information on the new public spaces that will go into effect this semester and moving forward.
DCGA President Owen Crum ‘20 discussed the shift around the social scene. “The reality of the situation is that something has to change. However, this means there is an incredible space for students, who for a long time have looked for a different type of social culture at Denison, to contribute and make a lasting impact on the University,” Crum said.
This semester, we will see the addition of two more heated tents behind the sunnies apartments for social gatherings. There will also be the conversion of Chamberlin’s basement into a new social space with a kitchen prep area and new restrooms. The capacity for this room will be up to 85 students. This area, however, will be an alcohol free zone, and will be ready for use by mid-February.
It is the result of much work and collaboration between the students and administration.
“I’ve been increasingly impressed with Denison’s student development team and their continued communication and insistence on student input. As chair of the campus affairs council my committee has spent countless hours engaged in dialogue with ideas and prototypes to help redesign social culture,” Crum said.
Furthermore, licensing is now underway for the opening up of an on-campus bar. This semester, however, is more of an experiment year for the bar to test out locations and finding what would be the best spot for this new addition.
During winter break, the board of trustees approved the building of social spaces so that they could be built during the summer and ready for the fall semester of 2019. There are going to be four new social spaces constructed that will be built, and each space will accommodate two different interior space that will accommodate about 100 to 150 students each with a outdoor green space in between. In an email to the student body, Weinburg said that they are moving quickly to finalize design ideas from students so that they can open these spaces next fall. These social spaces will be built behind the sunnies in the Brownstone lot.
A lot of the new changes came from hard work from the Administration. “During the last semester, administrators have not only fought for Denisonians need for both fun and safe social culture, but also for spaces that we can make our own. I am really excited to see what comes from future design sessions,” Crum said.
There are still many changes forthcoming, and the continued leadership of Crum and the administration brings optimism for what is to come.