Eleanor Linafelt
Chief Copy Editor
The Black Student Association (BSA) recently reopened their lounge in the basement of Douglass Hall which had been closed since last summer due to significant water damages from a flood that occurred in the building in June. The group held an event on Friday, Feb. 2 in the renovated lounge to celebrate the reopening of the space that has held decades of history for BSA.
Public Relations Director Sharah Hutson ’20 said that the event last Friday, at which the group had food, games and time for conversation, was meant to be welcoming to both members of BSA and students outside the group. “We wanted it to be a place of community, so not just having people on the board or people who always come to BSA things, but having new faces and students from other multicultural groups coming as well,” they explained. “That did happen, which was really nice.”
The event allowed students to gather again in a space they hadn’t shared since last school year. “It was an invitation for students of color to come together and appreciate the safe space created specifically for them,” said President of BSA Courtney Lockhart ’20.
The group was pleased with how many people attended the event. “Reopening the lounge was a great experience for me,” said Lockhart. “Seeing this organization’s greatness grow from event to event, with all that is stacked against it and its members, is very rewarding and heartwarming.”
When the lounge was closed over this past year, BSA held meetings in Babcock lounge and events in other spaces on campus, including The Alley.
It was not the same, however, as having a permanent space to meet, share with other groups and use for storage.“The BSA lounge offers a safe space for students of color to relax, study, take action, discuss topics and much, much more. It is the home away from home for students past and present and has existed for many decades,” said Lockhart.
Hutson said that even though the renovated lounge feels new, it still carries the weight of decades of history, including organizing for campus protests and holding arts events. “We planned for the Galpin Call-in in there,” Hutson remembered, referring to the 2018 protest when students took over Galpin Hall and presented the administration with a list of demands. “A lot of emotions are tied to that space — a lot of good ones.”
BSA has many upcoming events planned in their newly renovated lounge. Hutson said that they are particularly looking forward to Peace and Paint on Feb. 19 where people can paint decorations to hang around the lounge in an effort to make the space feel as “homey” and “communal” as it has the past.