Students on the west end of campus now have another option for late-night studying: 1920 Commons.
In response to student requests for additional spaces to work after hours last spring, the Undergraduate Assembly collaborated with Business Services over the past few months to renovate the basement of Commons into a more study-friendly area.
The room was outfitted with more outlets for laptops, upgraded lighting, additional seating and vending machines, according to Executive Director of Business Services Doug Berger.
The space opened to students on Wednesday but will see a grand opening later in the year “once all furniture and finishing touches are in place,” Business Services spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger wrote in an e-mail. It will be open Sunday through Thursday until 2 a.m. this semester.
UA President and College senior Matt Amalfitano said that “there’s lots of ideas being bounced around” about ways to use the new space, including hosting tutoring services and having Penn Dining or student groups bring food to late-night workers. For now, he said, the UA and Business Services are monitoring traffic and student responses.
A handful of students made use of the space Wednesday.
College sophomore Jenna Nelson said she came down to the basement when she was working in a nearby Starbucks, but moved to find an outlet for her laptop.
“It’s a nice alternative to Huntsman,” she said, adding that she lives at 41st and Spruce streets, so other study spaces are further out of the way for her.
She studied in the space last year and noticed Wednesday the better lighting and five new vending machines — a “big plus,” she said. Nelson is particularly pleased with the addition of the coffee vending machine. However, she worries that the layout of the room, which consists mainly of round tables as opposed to cubicles, may mean the space could easily become loud and crowded if more students start using it.
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