Upon students’ return to St. Xavier University this fall, we were greeted with some notable changes to the lower level of the Warde Academic Center.
For some the most noticeable change was that the stand once known as Coffee Cats is now MIA.
For others, it was the fact that the art gallery had magically jumped from one wall to an adjacent wall.
Still, others noticed that there is now a new student lounge were the old art gallery used to reside. This student lounge even comes complete with a Starbuck’s stand.
This gift to students by the school is a great one – a new, spacious area for social interaction, studying or just a quick cup of coffee. (This is of course in addition to all the other cool functions that come with the renovation: instructional design center, media services, student media center, library teaching lab, editing rooms, and recording studio.)
Some may be wondering how the University scored such money. (Don’t worry students of Saint Xavier University. This money did not come out of your pocket.)
Last spring, The Xavierite ran a piece on the retirement of a St. Xavier legend, former library director Mark Vargas. Vargas, who is largely responsible for SXU’s extensive and impressive film collection, was a man who constantly strove for bettering our school.
Before Vargas’s arrival, the library was hardly the aesthetic and technical learning environment that it is today.
These recent renovations were the last gift that Mr. Vargas has left the place that he served so dutifully for so many years.
Vargas was not alone in this mission. Pete Skach (head of facilities) and Ray Catania (CFO) were instrumental in getting this new lounge constructed.
This lounge was paid for from a fraction of a grant that the school received from the Illinois Board of Higher Education Independent Colleges Capital Program (or the ICCAP).
Surprisingly, the lounge is only stage two of renovations available to the school. The first wave of renovations was completed in 2011 when the library received a major face lift. The third and final stage has yet to be determined, though it is possible that further renovations could involve McGuire Hall and the L wing of the building.
What stands at the bottom level of the school, a straight shot from the diner, is a monument to the dedication that the most invested members of the St. Xavier family demonstrate – past and present.
So remember students that when it is time for finals and you are sitting in a fancy new lounge with a cup of coffee in your hands or perchance during the year you happen to see brilliant student artwork in our wonderful new gallery, just remember the hardworking and dedicated people who put it there.
Justly so, The Xavierite is often critical of our college. It is our job as student journalists to defend the students of SXU and voice their distrusts, woes and complaints.
However, today we bow our hats to the new student lounge and the amenities that come with it. The school’s space is being utilized to its fullest potential without sacrificing anything in the process.
Truly a win-win for everyone involved.
(In the spirit of full disclosure, The Xavierite staff feels it necessary to inform our readers that Mark Vargas’s son Grant was a former member of our staff. This fact, however, weighs little on our decision to write in the fashion that we have and all accompanying amenities that came with the renovation project.)
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The Xavierite Staff
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