This Wednesday, our new Damen Student Center was unveiled! There was a ribbon cutting at 9 am, and throughout the day there were dance performances, free samples from the new food court, games and prizes. It was a much anticipated day, as the process has been ongoing since its announcement when I was a freshman.  The reveal was definitely worth the wait!  Here’s a list of the top 3 BEST things about Damen Student Center!

1.  The new food court: In the old student center, CFSU, there was Rambler Room, a food court that had grilled foods, Mexican and sandwiches.  In the updated food court, there’s a brand new sandwich, soup & salad and pastry station (think of Panera). There’s also a pizza station, a burger station, many”grab and go” foods and snack foods. Besides the new food court, there is a new dining hall, Damen Dining.

2. The cinema: Damen Student Center has it’s own movie theater!  This movie theater will be the new place for the free weekly movie showings Loyola so generously offers.  Currently, Loyola shows newer movies (Django is next week’s film) in Crown Center or Galvin Auditorium. 

3. The pub-style sports lounge: In the basement of Damen, there is a pub-style sport lounge.  There’s a few big screen TV’s down there with a couple pool tables and some other games too.  It’s a really cool atmosphere, as it feels like you are at a sports bar or restaurant.  I definitely think this will be a huge hit, as the few times I’ve been there since Wednesday, it’s been packed!

I’m so happy the new student center was revealed when I still have a year left here at Loyola.  It is absolutely amazing, so I will be sure to get a lot of use out of it!