Turning an Old School College Dining Hall into a Highly Utilized Student Center

Not every college has extra space on campus to experiment with modern designs, furniture and features, but Orange County Community College (SUNY Orange) in Middletown, N.Y., just happened to have an aging, underutilized cafeteria that was ripe for an overhaul. The cafeteria provided the perfect backdrop for creating a cool, engaging place for clubs to convene, and students to enjoy in between classes.

Adrienne Victor, director of the Center for Student Involvement, said the college has about 37 recognized student-run clubs and 10 student senators. “During our student senate meetings, there was a lot of conversation about how our former cafeteria was being underutilized,” said Victor.

“The space was huge, and everyone was wondering if it was going to be reopened as a kitchen, and if not, why weren’t we using that space for a better purpose to serve our students,” she continued. “That’s how the wheels started turning.”

The group began to brainstorm ideas about how to better utilize the 7,000-square-foot space. At the college’s spring picnic, students were asked to contribute their ideas using Post-It Notes and large poster boards. Based on the feedback, it was pretty clear that students wanted a place to relax in between classes—a place where they could chill out, unwind and socialize.

“The students had a vision from the get-go of what they wanted to do,” said Victor. “They met with our VP of administration and finance to talk about how we could financially make this happen.”

Along with the renovated cafeteria space, the college would also overhaul a few meeting rooms for student club use. One existing storage room was transformed into a modern, engaging meeting room using Title V funds. Other aspects of the project were funded by a combination of student senate contributions, college funds and a Title V grant.

As you walk into the expansive space that was once SUNY Orange’s cafeteria, you’ll see a collection of chalkboards hung on the walls. That’s where students can let loose and get creative with their graffiti art. The school’s facilities team sponsored that part of the project. “Those chalkboards have been a big hit in here,” said Victor.

The space also features brand new flooring and a carpeted area. In the back, there’s a small floor stage and projector, plus a lot of new furniture that the college worked with MiEN to select and install. The furniture includes tables and bar-height tables equipped with built-in charging stations and an assortment of different seating options.

“In the center of the room, there’s a big round seating section that’s very popular with students,” said Victor. Another area is dedicated to club meeting rooms, all of which were fully renovated. The space also features a game room equipped with pool tables, shuffleboard, ping-pong tables, TVs and gaming consoles.

Early in the process, MiEN listened carefully to what the students wanted from the space and helped bring those visions to life. For example, the company developed an initial floor plan and solicited student feedback. MiEN then took that feedback back to the drawing board and came up with a revised approach that everyone liked.

“MiEN made the changes and never pushed back about having to make those pivots,” said Victor. “They understood what the students were asking for, and they delivered.”

As she surveys the beautiful, upgraded space, Victor said her favorite piece of furniture is a swirly table that features matching, s-shaped cushions in shades of orange, light gray and white. “I just think that looks so cool and blends well with our school colors (blue and orange).”

SUNY Orange kicked off the project during the fall semester of 2022, secured administration approval and then completed installation over the summer. It worked with MiEN; its own facilities department to handle the flooring and the carpeting; plus, its campus electrician to get the job done.

“Someone from our theater department even did the stage lights for us; we tried to use as many different resources as we could across the campus and were really impressed with the amount of support that we received,” said Victor.

Anyone who drops into the new space between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM on a weekday will surely see multiple students in it socializing, doing homework or getting together for club meetings. This is a major difference from just two years ago, when the space sat largely empty most of the time.

The school’s many different clubs enjoy having a space of their own to convene—something that they didn’t previously have. Club advisors have been trained on how to use the equipment, responsibly access the facility and then return keys back by a certain time. “Being able to increase the flexibility of that existing space has truly been a godsend for many of our school clubs,” Victor said.

Today, this engaging, modern gathering space looks “modern, sleek and clean” and truly depicts the direction that the college as a whole has been heading in. “It’s a good representation of exactly what we want to be for our students,” said Victor.