Dew Drop Lounge: Cherry on Top of Integration?

As the sun set over Dew Drop pond on Thursday, October 17, members of the Dew Drop Lounge working group met to discuss how the newly reopened space could look and feel. The lounge will open its doors on the morning of Monday, October 21 for use by students and faculty. 

Members of the Dew Drop Lounge working group meeting with Wheel journalists.

Student Senate President Zaynab Abdi, Political Science, International Relations, and Philosophy Major ‘20, hopes that the reopening of the Dew Drop Lounge will be the “happiness at the end of integration”. 

Previously occupied by the Department of Public Safety, the space was always intended for student purposes. Before housing Public Safety, the space was used as a lounge, cafe, and student space. In the past few months, Public Safety has made the move from the Dew Drop lounge to the first floor of the Coeur de Catherine (CdC), occupying an area that was previously used by the library for classrooms and computer labs. 

Last spring, the Student Senate issued a letter stating their support of the relocation of Public Safety from the 2nd floor of the CdC to the first floor of the CdC and the reopening of the Dew Drop lounge, “on the condition that all stakeholders - faculty, staff, and students from different colleges - are included.” The letter further stated: “students must be at the center of discussions regarding, but not limited to, the creation, utilization, and design (including furniture choice) of these spaces before any final decisions are made.”

In an attempt to include student voices in the final decisions about the space, Abdi invited student groups to send representatives to the initial Dew Drop working group meeting  so that they could share their hopes about how the space will be used in advance of its opening.

The Dew Drop working group is a student-led advisory team to inform the Dew Drop lounge component of integration, and the group is doing what they can to make sure everyone has a voice.

Present at the meeting were Abdi, Kasua Vue (representative from Lead Team and Nurses of Color Student Association), Pang Hua Yang (representative from Asian Women’s Association), Jasmin Yangwaue and Darling Lee (representatives from Student Senate), Deb Miner (Director of Student Center Activities), Jeff Johnson (philosophy professor and Integration Co-Chair) and Seth Snyder (Dean of Students.) The incorporation of these voices yielded a diverse range of ideas regarding the space, and Abdi, along with other members of the working group, noted them for future incorporation and consideration. Abdi expressed that the space is intended for students, so students should be consulted in its design and utilization. “My role as Senate President,” said Abdi, “is to ensure that students don’t see this as a scary change.” 

October 21 marks the “phase one” opening of Dew Drop lounge, a trial period in which students will be able to test the space out using furniture borrowed from other parts of campus. This period aims to measure student satisfaction with different aspects of the space, especially relating to furniture and technology. A survey will be sent to students during phase one to gauge needs for the space. Once taken into consideration, the Dew Drop lounge will be closed temporarily for construction and re-design before the “phase two” permanent opening. Possibilities in the space are ambiguous, as the budget is still being solidified, but the existing glass walls will eventually be taken down and the lounge will have an open flow into the adjacent corridor. The working group views Dew Drop lounge as a destination, and wants students to feel as if they have gained another space to socialize.

While questions were raised about sharing the space with other occupants of the corridor like the Center for Women and Career Development, the Dew Drop working group is ultimately optimistic, saying that the lounge could potentially increase student traffic to these other resources.

If nothing else, the opening up of this space will lend some much needed sunshine to the second floor of the CdC, complete with an open balcony that directly overlooks Dew Drop pond. 

With any questions about the opening of the Dew Drop lounge, please reach out to Cindy Conley, Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer and member of the Dew Drop Lounge Work Group: caconley@stkate.edu

For more information about integration : https://sites.google.com/a/stkate.edu/integration/