Sorin Hall welcomed the Hamline community, on Feb. 2, to an open house to feature their new space. A large map across from the entrance featured the new facilities within the first-year residential hall. The Piper Express, Bookstore, Safety and Security, a new Game Space, a Gathering Space, Conference Events and Management and a University Honors Lounge now reside within Sorin Hall.

“I’m impressed how they put [Sorin Hall] t

o use,” senior Zinzile Sibanda said. “For this place has been idle for so long.”

The facilities’ move from being scattered around campus to one central location was also looked upon fondly by those touring.

“What I appreciate is it’s an extension to Anderson Center, so it makes like a one stop shop,” RHA advisor Gaith Hijazin said. “It’s a cool way to create traffic on campus in a good way.”

The new spaces were a favorite for many students because of the convenience of the proximity to the facilities.

“My favorite space is the book store. I love how it’s closer,” sophomore Emma Larson said.

Many places, such as The Gathering Place will be utilized for multiple purposes. As stated by its name it is a gathering place for all students, but it will also be used as the new Chapel and as a meeting place for the MultiFaith Alliance who meets every Monday. Within the Gathering Space there are foot washing rooms for religious use and a large sitting area to relax and meditate.

“There’s just a lot of light,” sophomore KT Cahow said about the Gathering Space, “considering a lot of rooms around [campus] don’t have a lot of natural light it’s super refreshing to have.”

The appreciation for the natural light in the revamped Sorin Hall was emulated throughout the new spaces.

“It’s a lot more open and cool and inviting,” sophomore Natalie Crepeau said.

Those who were touring around also admired the new furniture within each space, such as the Game Room.

“It looks a lot more modern and updated,” first-year Kassy Slowinski said.

The Game Room now is equipped with a large TV and a spacious sitting area. In the future, Hijazin states that they are trying to get in a pool table and a ping pong table.

Pulled up from the basement of the Bush Center, the new Mailroom is also up and running allowing for a convenient trip. The mail boxes do have new combinations which can be found on Piperline.

A new addition to the campus is the Honor’s Lounge, which is open to all Honor Students. This lounge is located where the old Sorin Computer Lab used to be, across from the Sorin main entrance.

The open house allowed many of the new facilities to be showcased. If students wish to access the new facilities, they may enter through the front entrance or the entrance nearest to Safety and Security.