ALYSSA BUMP
Life & Arts Editor
After a year of isolation, many students are looking for face-to-face interaction whenever possible.
Luckily, the new FREDwell Lounge is now open to all students.
The lounge is located on the second floor of the Williams Center in room S221.
In an email sent to all registered students from Enrollment & Student Services, the lounge is described as “a safe space to build peer-led community wellness activities and as a space to provide some extra support for students to decompress and connect with others.”
Residence Life, Campus Life, the Counseling Center and Student Association president Israel Ortiz all teamed up to help create it.
Miranda Nellis, counselor in residence, also credited others for making the FREDwell Lounge possible.
She said, “We were also able to collaborate with the First Year Residential Experience team headed by Kevin Hahn… and the lounge is currently being staffed during the day by Fredonia Social Work interns. Additionally, Dr. McFall and Dr. Thibodeau are collaborating with us to bring in the Student Life clubs and additional programming and groups that will be beneficial for students.”
During the grand opening on Feb. 10, goodie bags were given out as well as reusable bags and water bottles, stickers, masks, hand sanitizer and more.
About 75 students and 10 faculty members stopped by to check out the lounge, which is accessible to students every day, from the time the Williams Center opens until it closes.
Student interns will also be there for several hours five days a week to support students who visit.
The lounge is meant to give students a place where they can find the resources they need.
Information and flyers for things such as support groups, coping skills and even local dentist offices are available in the lounge.
Bri Lever, a University at Buffalo MSW intern for ResLife, said, “The overall goal is support — where peers can support peers.”
The interns are around the same age as most students, and they encourage students to come to the lounge to relax, hang out or vent about their day.
“We aren’t all in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm,” said Lever.
Nellis said, “My biggest hope for the lounge is that it will give students a place to connect with peers and the campus, which is increasingly difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
There are a number of peer-led groups that will meet in the lounge and are all centered around wellness, from self-love to LGBTQ+ groups.
Regarding COVID-19 precautions, Nellis said, “The lounge will follow all state and local guidelines for maintaining safety during COVID-19. This includes a mask requirement, reduced capacity, as well as having wipes and other cleaning supplies available for students to wipe down supplies and hand sanitizer.”
If you are interested in any upcoming activities and events happening in the FREDwell lounge, check out https://fredconnect.fredonia.edu/.