Talon Lounge, a new hangout for students, opens in the UC

By JASMINE PINEDA

A new hangout spot called the Talon Lounge is now open for anyone to use. It is located in room 306 of the University Center and is available during the building’s normal operating hours. It can be tricky to find for students not familiar with the structure of the third floor of the UC.

The atmosphere in the Talon Lounge is relaxing and the lighting is not harsh, making it a great spot for students to get work done or just hang out and have some fun. The room itself is very spacious and contains various seating arrangements.

There are some tables for students to work on, as well as lounge chairs similar to the ones in the UC lobby. There are also televisions spread throughout the room for student use.

Maria Ingea, a sophomore marketing and communications major, thinks the atmosphere is very relaxing and thinks the lounge was a great idea.

“It gives students a place to hang out outside of their dorms,” Ingea said. As someone who has helped hold events in the Talon Lounge, she also believes that clubs should take advantage of the space because of its great location.

In an email sent out to the university, Sam Kasner explained it was across from the bathrooms on the third floor to make it easier for students to navigate to the room, but until recently there was not much usage in the lounge. Freshman Matthew Allocca had never heard of the Talon Lounge prior to the news that it is now open for public use.

“[It] sounds appealing for those who work better in groups,” Allocca said. Samantha Amos, president of the University Programming Council, stated that the room was built for school groups to use, but that the room itself has hit a few snags.

“[It] was made to be multipurpose but the lack of AV has made that difficult,” Amos said. Due to the lack of Audio/Video components and capabilities in the lounge, many organizations have not been able to use the space for what they need.

Amos explains that although it has not had a lot of use, some have used the lounge for rain locations. For example, the German Club had used it for their Winter Market. Other clubs, such as Young Life, tend to use the lounge as a meeting area. The Campus Programming Board has held past events there this semester, including “Live Lounge,” where students can come enjoy free pizza, listen to music and hang out with some friends.

Freshman Chloe Morten says that her friends do not tend to hang out there but would consider coming to the room if organizations or clubs on campus held events there. Morten also believes that it’d be interesting to get more amenities for students in the room, such as a ping pong table.

As of right now, Alec Mallman, the building manager, has released the room for anyone to use during the building operating hours. He hopes this can promote use for students to relax, watch TV, do homework, or meet with groups. There is currently discussion of trying to get a foosball or air hockey table in the room.