Christendom Unveils Renovated Student Center

Christendom’s John Paul the Great Student Center received a fresh facelift over spring break, with the newly renovated first floor of the student center unveiled yesterday to the Christendom community. Complete with new flooring, lighting, paint, a surround sound system, and vivid decorating, the space provides students with a beautiful new location to socialize and create memories during their time at Christendom.

Assistant director of operations Sean LaRochelle and special events manager Theresa Francis began planning the renovation of the student center earlier this spring, after determining the need for a beautiful new space for students to socialize in on campus.

“We wanted to create a real destination for students on campus. Architecture is about creating spaces that lift you up, and we sought to create a space that would accomplish just that, bringing people together to be productive, be active, get to know people, and make great memories while they’re here on campus,” says LaRochelle.
While the first floor of the student center had been utilized previously to watch movies or play tabletop games, it had not been significantly updated in many years. LaRochelle and Francis hired Illinado Home Solutions, LLC, an alumni-run company, to replace the existing fluorescent lighting with new, recessed lighting, and to repaint the entire space in a contemporary grey color.

After replacing the lighting and paint, all of the existing carpet was replaced with wood flooring for half of the room and new carpeting for the other half. By physically separating the entire first floor in such a way, the area was split into a section for tabletop games and a “movie-theater” area. The existing pool and Ping-Pong tables were both refurbished, while the movie watching area was also enhanced with a new surround sound system, with speakers built into the walls and ceiling.

All of these changes, in addition to new study tables and wall art, were all chosen to improve the ambiance of the entire space, making it warm and inviting for the entire student body.

“I love the new space because it’s so nice and inviting. It’s been beautifully recreated, taking everything we had before and enhancing it. I think its going to be a great place for students to go now to be productive, while also feeling like they’re at home,” says sophomore Leah Ross.