Over winter break, the Student Union will be receiving updates, including new furniture, new activities and an overall new feel to the entire area.

The updates will be completed while students are away from campus, so no interruption in services will be noticeable. Some of the many pieces of furniture being added include a large sectional couch; coffee tables; a tall gathering table; shorter cafe-style tables, which will be perfect for studying socializing and playing games; leveled window seats; soft pod style chairs with attached side tables; and small pull-up side tables that are able to be moved around the room if and when needed.

“All of the furniture is fairly easy to move around so that the space can still be used for a programming space and so students can rearrange furniture to where it suits their needs,” said Steph Przepiora, Director for Campus Involvement.

Additionally, the air hockey table in the great room will be moved to McAuley Hall and the Great Room will be receiving a new foosball table. Przepiora said that there have been many board games ordered specifically for the Great Room, as well as two HDMI cables that can be used with the televisions on the South Wall. Adirondack chairs and two hammocks were already added to the patio off of the Great Room at the beginning of the semester. “These spots will be great places to hang out when the weather becomes nice again,” said Przepiora. Upstairs in the Half Moon Lounge, new cafe tables; a taller bar-style table; and pod chairs have been added. Campus Ministry will also be receiving some new renovations, such as new chairs for the Prince of Peace chapel to give that area a face-lift.

In the Mercyhurst Student Government Chambers, dry erase tables will be coming to replace the old tables that are currently in this area. These will be great for collaborative work for MSG, clubs/organizations and students who simply need a place to study.

Additionally, MSG has partnered with the University to receive updated lighting in the Student Union, which will help brighten up this space more. With the new furniture and updates, the Student Union will have a modern-lodge vibe, according to Przepiora. It will be cozy and the cheerful earthy blue and green tones of the furniture will add to this look, as well as playing off of Mercyhurst’s colors. “We want to bring students over to the Union and make it a hub of student activity, as it should be,” said Przepiora. She added that with more functional, nice-looking, comfortable furniture and a new variety of activities, the Student Union will hopefully attract students to visit and use these spaces more. The Student Union is open Monday-Thursday until 11 p.m., and later on the weekends along with the Roost, which is located downstairs.

According to Nick Brodfuehrer, Intelligence Studies & Political Science major and President of the Mercyhurst Student Government, funding for this project came from an excess of leftover money from student activity fees from the 2020-21 school year. The student activity fee is a fee that is included in each student’s tuition every year. And since COVID prevented many activities from being held that year, there were a lot of resources to be utilized this year. Renovating the student union will be beneficial to all students. Students will experience no disruption to utilizing the Student Union unless they stay on campus during Winter Break.

The opening date is Jan. 20., 2022. Be sure to check out the Student Union once it is finished for the spring semester and utilize it as the hang-out spot that it is meant to be.