DAN QUAGLIANA
Special to the Leader
Since the 1980s, the Fredonia Honors Program has been looking to get their own space where Honors students can “learn, lead and live” together. But it took until this semester for them to actually get one. The new Honors Lounge, located in Fenton Hall 2148-2151, allows for students to learn, lead and live – and more.
Students can arrange and host programs in the lounge, but “only for general use,” says Dr. Natalie Gerber, the director of the Honors Program. “The main lounge should always be available if there isn’t an Honors event going on.”
Honors students often find it difficult to interact with one another because they are a part of more than 65 different majors, many of which are associated with different schools spread throughout the university.
“There’s no way of finding other Honors students outside of Honors House [Grissom Hall] or other Honors classes,” Gerber said. “We wanted students to be able to interact in a way that was unmediated, that wasn’t constructed by faculty or staff.”
Since the Honors Lounge first opened on Jan. 25, Honors students have been enjoying the new space.
The lounge is a “really good opportunity to have an extra study space that isn’t just your dorm or a random table in the middle of an academic building,” said Makalya Mohrman, a first year Honors student.
Mohrman specifically referenced the fact that the lounge was a great place to meet other students that you normally would not have the chance to meet.
“The amenities are always a great selling point, too,” she said.
Speaking of amenities, the lounge has plenty of them. There are puzzles, free coffee, tea, hot chocolate and snacks, including cookies and chocolate. A refrigerator and television are on loan from Kathy Forster and the Residence Life staff, and there is also a laptop bar if students are looking for a more studious atmosphere.
Gerber specified that the lounge was not going for a “library” vibe, so to speak, but rather a laid-back environment for Honors students to get work done or stop for a snack.
That being said, the lounge is definitely “cozy, but in its infancy,” said Josh Ribakove, a third year intern within the Honors Program.
As of right now, the only purchased decoration is a giant Honors Program logo printed on the wall, which was designed by Scott Brown, a graphic design student who graduated last year. Other donated furniture currently lives in the space, and Ribavoke said “after it’s been developed more, it’ll be even cozier.”
Beginning with Dr. Ted Steinberg, the first Honors director in the ‘80s, every Honors director has wanted a space like the new lounge. The beginnings of this lounge date back to 2017, when David Kinkela, a professor in the history department, created a petition which eventually amassed well over 100 signatures.
The final proposal, however, was authored by Sophie Wojciechowski, a public relations and journalism double major who graduated last summer. Her proposal was sent to Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. David Starrett, who approved it, paving the way for the lounge to be constructed.
In order to transform a nondescript room in Fenton Hall into the face of the Honors Program, a lot of work was required, often in “the blink of an eye,” according to Gerber.
“The Honors Program is incredibly grateful to not only the administration, but facility services, custodial staff and the dozens of people who made this happen.”
In no particular order, Gerber and the rest of the Honors Program would like to thank the Campus Space Committee; Erin Mroczka and Carmen Rivera for their support; Kinkela and Steinberg for their years-long campaigning for a special Honors space; Kathy Forster, for loaning the Honors Program the television and fridge from ResLife; Kevin Cloos, Tom Deike, Mark Delcamp and Lee Szalkowski for taking down walls, installing electrical and carpeting, moving furniture and ceiling fans and generally helping transform the space from the Computer Sciences center into the Honors Lounge; and campus and community members Tricia Drake, Carolyn Grady and Jan Laurito for donations.
If you happen to have any of these spare objects collecting dust in your dorm, the Honors Program is looking for donations of the following items:
bean bag chairs
puzzles
art supplies
board games
stress-relief toys or objects
yoga or meditation items
cozy throws and pillows
color printer, toner, ink, and paper
coffee cups, stirrers, napkins, spoons, etc.