Beacon Hall Boasts of More Placid Study Environments
By Chris Albino
Staff Writer
How Beacon Hall manages to handle the lack of quiet space HCC students have.
The often overwhelming college workload leaves many students stressed out about their cluttered schedules. Before the construction of Beacon Hall students did not have much opportunity for quiet study, one of the keys to a successful learning process. The new study lounges Beacon Hall has to offer students must not be overlooked by those looking for a haven from the hustle and bustle of the Housatonic community.
Beacon Hall has seemingly attracted more students to choose Housatonic as a start for their college careers. Over 5,000 students enrolled in Housatonic for this fall 2008 semester breaking the record for most enrolled in the process. While the expansion of Housatonic is an important and essential process, it cannot interfere with the purpose of the schools construction, academia.
The differences in size and space between Lafayette Hall and Beacon Hall are glaring. Lafayette Hall caters to a more intimate school experience where the student is bound to see a minimum of one or two recognizable peers or faculty. While the familiarity that Lafayette Hall has to offer its students’ is desirable, it at times can feel slightly cramped.
“It (Lafayette) wasn’t the best place for study, most of the time I would just go to my classes and head home to study. It was too loud in the student lounges because they’re attached to the cafeteria and the library is busy most of the time” said Housatonic student Mike Roche.
Housatonic is a commuter school and therefore cannot devote an excessive amount of space to its students to spend downtime studying. The Housatonic course schedule does not offer many courses in the middle of the day. Between the hours of two and five in the afternoon there are not many courses for a student to take. If a person gets out of one course at one in the afternoon and has another later that day he or she no longer needs to go home to find peace and quiet.
Before Beacon Hall, long breaks between morning and late afternoon classes posed a dilemma for Housatonic students. Many students chose to leave the building only to come back to attend their later classes. This causes students to spend extra money on gas. Beacon Hall allows for the student with time on his or her hands to go to the study lounges to catch up on readings for class or to simply relax with fellow students.
“I’m pretty excited I can spend entire days at HCC now because kids can just chill and do their own thing in the lounges upstairs. Driving back and forth from school two or three times a day between classes is a hassle” said Adam Wolloch.
The study lounges in Beacon Hall allow for more than just individual study. Many pieces of furniture have clearly been chosen for multiple people to work together. Beacon Hall makes group study more convenient; rather than having to cram five or six students in the tight quiet study rooms of the Lafayette Hall library, students can meet in the student lounges of Beacon Hall where numerous couches and tables have been allotted for those looking to work in a group setting.
“At the end of last semester I had a project due. I had to do the project with three classmates but the problem was we couldn’t talk in the library and the study rooms in the library were always full” said Housatonic student Sarah Russell.
Beacon Hall has seemed to rectify the issue of study space. The new building offers students multiple study lounges with various tables, comfortable chairs and couches for students to utilize while studying. Rather than having to be crammed into a library with every other student who has a big exam later in the day, the savvy student will retreat to the respite of Beacon Hall’s study lounges.
The often overwhelming college workload leaves many students stressed out about their cluttered schedules. Before the construction of Beacon Hall students did not have much opportunity for quiet study, one of the keys to a successful learning process. The new study lounges Beacon Hall has to offer students must not be overlooked by those looking for a haven from the hustle and bustle of the Housatonic community.
Beacon Hall has seemingly attracted more students to choose Housatonic as a start for their college careers. Over 5,000 students enrolled in Housatonic for this fall 2008 semester breaking the record for most enrolled in the process. While the expansion of Housatonic is an important and essential process, it cannot interfere with the purpose of the schools construction, academia.
The differences in size and space between Lafayette Hall and Beacon Hall are glaring. Lafayette Hall caters to a more intimate school experience where the student is bound to see a minimum of one or two recognizable peers or faculty. While the familiarity that Lafayette Hall has to offer its students’ is desirable, it at times can feel slightly cramped.
“It (Lafayette) wasn’t the best place for study, most of the time I would just go to my classes and head home to study. It was too loud in the student lounges because they’re attached to the cafeteria and the library is busy most of the time” said Housatonic student Mike Roche.
Housatonic is a commuter school and therefore cannot devote an excessive amount of space to its students to spend downtime studying. The Housatonic course schedule does not offer many courses in the middle of the day. Between the hours of two and five in the afternoon there are not many courses for a student to take. If a person gets out of one course at one in the afternoon and has another later that day he or she no longer needs to go home to find peace and quiet.
Before Beacon Hall, long breaks between morning and late afternoon classes posed a dilemma for Housatonic students. Many students chose to leave the building only to come back to attend their later classes. This causes students to spend extra money on gas. Beacon Hall allows for the student with time on his or her hands to go to the study lounges to catch up on readings for class or to simply relax with fellow students.
“I’m pretty excited I can spend entire days at HCC now because kids can just chill and do their own thing in the lounges upstairs. Driving back and forth from school two or three times a day between classes is a hassle” said Adam Wolloch.
The study lounges in Beacon Hall allow for more than just individual study. Many pieces of furniture have clearly been chosen for multiple people to work together. Beacon Hall makes group study more convenient; rather than having to cram five or six students in the tight quiet study rooms of the Lafayette Hall library, students can meet in the student lounges of Beacon Hall where numerous couches and tables have been allotted for those looking to work in a group setting.
“At the end of last semester I had a project due. I had to do the project with three classmates but the problem was we couldn’t talk in the library and the study rooms in the library were always full” said Housatonic student Sarah Russell.
Beacon Hall has seemed to rectify the issue of study space. The new building offers students multiple study lounges with various tables, comfortable chairs and couches for students to utilize while studying. Rather than having to be crammed into a library with every other student who has a big exam later in the day, the savvy student will retreat to the respite of Beacon Hall’s study lounges.
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