The long-awaited student lounge is now under construction. The student lounge will be located in the Christensen Center, in the space where the bookstore used to be before it moved to the new Oren Gateway Center. The new lounge is being built to create a student space that supports student, faculty, and staff interaction, provides a sense of welcome, and serves as “home” for commuter students. The Christensen Center will be undergoing other exciting new changes within the near future.
In December 2006, the Christensen Center Task Force (CCTF) posted an online survey designed to gather the input of the Augsburg community on how to remodel the Christensen Center. Survey questions were developed by the task force with the assistance of Sociology Professor Diane Pike and Liaison-for-Computing Scott Krajewski.
With few exceptions, the survey results showed that the Augsburg community wants Christensen to be a student center providing services and spaces for our student body. Members of all student populations want a center that is open 24 hours a day, offers a variety of food options at different times of the day, provides individual and group study space with computers and printers, and is both safe and accessible. While the focus on students is important, the community also articulated the need for a space
that is flexible and adaptable to all community members including regents, donors, faculty, and staff.
CCTF student representative Sarah Black says, “I hope to see progress in upcoming years towards a centralized space on campus that is inclusive to all members of Augsburg’s diverse community.”
The new student lounge will feature a gaming area, a sitting area, and a media area. In addition, the lounge will be furnished so it can be converted into a performance space. Construction work on the new lounge will take approximate 2-3 months to complete.
For more information about the CCTF’s progress and meetings, visit www.augsburg.edu/cctf.