Our old school cafeteria was sitting unloved, waiting for someone to come along and repurpose it into a more useful, engaging space for the modern learning environment. We have a lot of clubs on campus that needed a place to convene, plus students who really wanted a place where they could go and hang out between classes.
So, we had the 7,000-square-foot space ready to convert, but before we started, we really wanted to get student feedback on what they wanted from the space, how they planned to use it and what types of furniture and features we should include in it.
Here are five steps we took to ensure a successful project outcome and a student body that was happy with how we transformed an underused space:
1. Invite everyone to brainstorm ideas. At our college’s spring picnic, students were asked to contribute their ideas using Post-It Notes and large poster boards. Based on the feedback, it was pretty clear that students wanted a place to relax in between classes—a place where they could chill out, unwind and socialize. They had a vision from the get-go of what they wanted to do.
2. Nail down the financing. We met with our vice president of administration and finance to talk about how we could financially make this happen. One existing storage room was transformed into a modern, engaging meeting room using Title V funds.
Other aspects of the project were funded by a combination of student senate contributions, college funds and a Title V grant. Certain parts of the project were sponsored by specific groups (e.g., the school’s facilities team purchased and installed chalkboards that students use for graffiti art).
3. Think outside of the box. We have about 37 recognized student-run clubs and 10 student senators that needed their own space to meet and collaborate. This was yet another reason why we wanted to transform our underutilized cafeteria into a multipurpose space that everyone could use.
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Our many different clubs enjoy having a space of their own to convene—something that they didn’t previously have. Club advisors have been trained on how to use the equipment, responsibly access the facility and then return keys back by a certain time. Being able to increase the flexibility of that existing space has truly been a godsend for many of our school clubs.
4. Enlist help from everyone on campus. We kicked off the project during the fall semester of 2022, got administration approval and then completed installation over the summer. We worked with MiEN, our own facilities department (to handle the flooring and the carpeting), plus our campus electrician. Someone from our theater department even did the stage lights for us. We tried to use as many different resources as we could across the campus and were really impressed with the amount of support that we received.
5. Outfit the space with modern, inviting furniture and fixtures. The space features brand new flooring and a carpeted area. In the back, there’s a small floor stage and projector, plus a lot of new furniture, including tables and bar-height tables equipped with built-in charging stations and an assortment of different seating options.
In the center of the room, there’s a big round seating section that’s very popular with students. Another area is dedicated to club meeting rooms, all of which were fully renovated. The space also features a game room equipped with pool tables, shuffleboard, ping-pong tables, TVs and gaming consoles.
