A new lounge opening this week at the University Memorial Center will provide students with a place to collaborate, study, socialize or just relax.
A grand opening for the new Student Engagement and Collaboration Area lounge will be held from 2-3 p.m. on Wednesday, and students, faculty and staff are invited to explore the new space.
Andrea Zelinko, interim director of the UMC, said the lounge will support all students, and was created by working with the UMC Board to support the meeting space and short-term storage needs of student organizations that represent and support historically underrepresented students.
The new space’s overall design was based on what students said they wanted, but the UMC is prepared to adapt to student needs as they evolve over the years, Zelinko said.
Located at the heart of the CU Boulder campus, the UMC student union is where students meet with friends, study, grab a bite to eat, work and get involved with student organizations.
“It is part of our mission to create a welcoming and inclusive space that complements the academic classroom and supports student success,” Zelinko said.
The new 3,172-square-foot student lounge features meeting rooms, offices and a quiet room and is adjacent to a new Veterans Memorial Lounge that will make its debut on Veterans Day in November.
Both spaces are part of a $1.99 million renovation project on the second and third floors of the UMC that include the new Center for Student Involvement. Funding came from multiple sources available to the UMC, including repair and replacement, capital, and finance board funds in addition to a campus loan to be repaid by the UMC repair and replacement fund with no new student fees required.
The UMC student union is part of the campus’s CU Student Government or CUSG and is governed by the student-led UMC Board.
