I don’t know about you, but when I was looking at colleges there was a common theme that I inevitably came to take for granted – life and options on campus.
I will admit that the reason I came to Loyola was not the retro-style Danna Center, nor was it the architectural wonder that is Monroe. I came here for the city – the food, the music, the attitude and the people. Loyola does a great job of encouraging us to experience all these aspects of the city. Unfortunately, its most effective strategy is the “well, what else are we going to do” approach.
I have loved my time at Loyola and the school excels in many areas. However, it gets a big old “F” when it comes to providing students with things to do on campus. We enjoy the privileges of a top-10 library and a local coffee shop.
After that, it is up to Residential Life, UPB, etc. to give students an opportunity for a break from their daily routine that is both on-campus and free. These events serve important and fun purposes, but are few and far between. More importantly, these events are themed and can necessitate certain involvement from those who attend. This is appropriate for their purposes, but there exists a gap in coverage that falls under the responsibility of the university to make up.
We need a designated space open all hours of the day where we can study, socialize, and distract ourselves. A key to this is the ability to come to it on our own terms, for our own purposes. We desperately need something to compete with Friar Tucks, The Boot and the rest of the New Orleans atmosphere.
My suggestion is simple. Lock down the Danna Center at the usual time, but leave the passageway down to Satchmo’s open. Patrol it as needed, take out the snake-couch, add in a jukebox, replace the pool tables with better ones, add a couple ping-pong tables, arcade games (feel free to charge for all of these to cover the cost), and vending machines. Then open the stage to student bands. This will give students alternative social options, allow them appropriate study breaks, and let Loyola bands spread their names.
Satchmo’s already comes equipped with televisions. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a real, on-campus destination to watch Saints games? If we offer students cool on-campus alternatives, they will take advantage of them and the school will be better for it. Over time the price of the games and vending would cover their own costs. The only real expense the university would have to absorb is that potentially demanded by the patrol. In the context of offering students safe, fun, appropriate and productive alternatives, this cost is negligible.
I am sure that the school has planned for something along these lines in the plans for the campus overhaul. In the course of our life at Loyola, however, we will never benefit from these changes. My suggestion offers an inexpensive option to bridge the gap between now and then. It’s about time the Danna “Student Center” started living up to its name.
Alex Thomas is a chemistry pre-med junior. He can be reached at
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