Game Room and Gateway Building
By Victoria Partyka: Multimedia Editor
Students in the Gaucho Lounge, also known as the game room, chatting with one another. Students have been thinking about where they will be going if the Game Room moves. (Photography/Hannah Tavares)
The game room, known as the Gaucho Lounge, in the Saddleback College Student Services Center will be repurposed for club activities, special programs and studying starting this semester, according to the Associated Student Government.
“Nina came out of the crafts room around 8:30 a.m. and said that the room was going to be used for clubs, the leadership program and studying. She said that we were not going to be able to hang out and play games in the game room anymore,” said Nick Potter, a Saddleback student.
ASG President Sarvy Pahlavan said that the game room will be moved but that “it will be a slow transition.”
Currently, the plan is to move the game room into the staff lounge in the cafeteria.
The room that is currently the staff lounge in the cafeteria is being repurposed to a more “flexible use of that space,” said Audra DiPadova, the director of student life.
The staff lounge is a fairly small room compared to the game room and is currently used for college staff to have their lunch and other breaks in.
Since the game room is significantly larger than the staff lounge, student gatherings will have to decrease in size to accommodate.
“We are going to be working with the varied student population who use the game room to [set up] an association with the Associated Student Government to provide input and participation on how the game room will be utilized,” DiPadova said.
It is unclear exactly how much the game room usage is being restricted, but according to ASG it is currently only closing on Fridays to be used for the Leadership Program. While all students are invited to attend Leadership Program meetings, they will not be able to use the game room as normal during those meetings.
“We value the energy in there,” said Erin Long, senior administrative assistant for Student Development, in regards to the game room.
Both DiPadova and Long spoke about the fact that they love the connection between the students and the room, but feel that it needs better upkeep by the students.
The issue may be moot inanother five years or so as the college is planning to build a new structure to house student services.
“Once we get this Gateway building, which will be the new student services building, this is going to be more of a student union. So that is really amazing, because we will be able to expand,” DiPadova said. “But in the mean time, the Gaucho Lounge is truly the ASG office.”
The Gateway building is still in the planning phase and is scheduled to begin construction during the 2019 academic year.
“It will be the new student services building,” President Tod A. Burnett said. “The reason it is called the Gateway building, is because it will be at the front of the college.”
It will be located in parking Lot 9A.
