UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 29, Page 1
April 25, 1996
Student initiative helps create rec area in Brown

     Thanks to the enthusiasm and initiative of students in the
Brown/Sypherd Residence Hall Complex, Brown now has a multipurpose
recreation room for use by residents in the two buildings, according
to Matt Dunne, North Central Campus coordinator.
     Originally, the first floor of Brown contained a three-room suite
with lounge furniture and a television, but the facility was underused
by student residents. Downstairs, on the ground floor, was a large
finished space which was used for studying.
     Hall government officers- including hall director Kevin Connell,
Resident Student Association representative Mike Oppenheimer and hall
government president Christy Holton-had ideas about how the space
could be used more effectively by moving the study area to the first
floor and converting the large basement into a recreation center.
     With cooperation and financial assistance from residence life,
RSA, housing and the Brown/Sypherd hall government, changes were made,
and a new recreation center, plus a television viewing lounge for
approximately 30 people, was created in the basement area for the
students.
     "What we did was move the individual study area, which is
equipped for 19 students, upstairs to the three-room suite and move
the lounge furniture and TV downstairs. With space to spare and thanks
to the cooperation we received, we were able to purchase a Ping-Pong
table, pool table and install cabinets to hold the equipment.
     The feedback from students has been excellent, but the proof of
the changes is that both areas are in constant use every evening,"
Dunne said.
     Another basement room has been furnished as a group study area
where students can get together to discuss projects and as a meeting
room. Dunne said that he hopes a third large room will be converted
into a fitness room for the complex in the future.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure