Making Room for Relaxation

Students relax in the transformed Wedge Social Lounge.

Making Room for Relaxation

It's the start of a new academic year, which means new classes, new professors, new logins, updated software, and … newly improved campus spaces for kicking back and relaxing?

That's right. Several areas around campus were reconfigured and refurnished over the summer to encourage student socializing. It's part of the university's ongoing efforts to strengthen student engagement, well-being, and mental health.

"WPI has a lot of study spaces for students, but it's also important to create designated social spaces because students need to connect and have fun," says Matt Foster, director of Housing & Residential Experience.

The newly configured social spaces are sprinkled throughout campus, in East Hall, Founders Hall, the Goat's Head, and the Morgan Wedge (see Changing Places, below). They are available to both undergraduate and graduate students.

During listening sessions with the Mental Health and Well-Being Task Force in 2022 and in the 2023 enrolled student survey, students asked for more campus spaces to socialize. That feedback is one of the reasons why reviewing how non-academic spaces are used around campus has been a priority for Foster since he became director of Housing & Residential Experience in 2022.

"If we can be more intentional about how we design and furnish mixed-use spaces in public areas, I think we will see a shift in the usage and energy that's happening there," Foster says.

And while some of the changes this summer took place in residence halls, partners from across the university have been instrumental in the efforts. These partners include Campus Center Operations, the Dean of Students Office, Dining Services, the Facilities Office, the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education, and the Student Activities Office.

"Social spaces create hubs for relationship building, friend making, and peer support," says Emily Perlow, assistant vice president and dean of students. "The intentional design of these spaces to encourage relaxation and socialization is critical to student belonging and well-being."

Spaces across campus have been reconfigured to help encourage students to balance their studies with fun and socializing.

East Hall

Previously, most public spaces in East Hall were reserved for building residents. Now the full campus community has access to a music room with both an upright and a baby grand piano as well as an esports lounge equipped with computers and headsets for gaming. In addition, the building's new social lounge has a pool table; television; comfortable chairs; a sit-down, drivable Mario Kart; and an upright arcade machine outfitted with 31 video games.

Founders Hall

Tables and chairs are being added to the Founders Hall lobby to encourage students and others to sit down to enjoy grab-and-go fare from the building's convenience store.

Goat's Head

After a three-year hiatus, a stage-complete with a sound system and lighting-is being re-installed in the Goat's Head dining area. The Student Activities Office will schedule open mic nights, karaoke sessions, bingo games, and trivia contests throughout the year, and students will be able to reserve space for their own programming.

Morgan Wedge

The area outside the Center for Well-Beingthat links Morgan Hall and Daniels Hall has been renamed the Wedge Social Lounge. It now contains several couches and other soft, comfortable seating. Two upright arcade machines, each loaded with 31 video games, welcome visitors to the area. And new tables and chairs are coming soon, which will provide a second centralized student tabling area, in addition to that of the Rubin Campus Center. Student groups will be able to reserve them through 25Live.