by Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief
The fourth floor of the Raymond Kelly Student Commons is getting a minor facelift; the room previously used for faculty dining will now become another reservable room for lectures and events. It will join Kelly 4A and Kelly 4B, with the room now being called Kelly 4C.
An announcement about the move appeared in an MC Announcements email sent out to students and faculty at the beginning of the semester. The announcement was submitted by Kenneth Waldhof, director of business services.
“The Kelly Commons Faculty-Staff Dining Room has relocated back to its former location in the Thomas Hall Cafe 1853 area Atrium. The dining space will open on Monday, August 27 with the start of the fall term,” the announcement said. Before Kelly Commons was built, the atrium in Cafe 1853 served as faculty dining.
The move was something discussed with faculty and Provost William Clyde, according to Richard Satterlee, vice president of student life.
“With consultation with the faculty and the provost, we agreed to relocate the faculty dining and convert [4C]. The space that was faculty dining will essentially be freed up to be scheduled for programming. I think this really benefits the entire campus,” said Satterlee.
The reason of the move, simply, is that the Commons is used most frequently for events and the building was in need of another room. During the academic year, the rooms are booked practically every single day.
Or as Satterlee put it, “we’re like a victim of our own success in the Commons, which is really good news.”
The room is currently being equipped with a projector and screen to be used for presentations, along with new AV and sound systems similar to those housed in rooms 4A and 4B, along with rooms 5A, 5B and 5C.
Along with the technology, 4A and 4B have collapsable walls that can connect the entirety of the fourth floor into one big room, similar to the fifth floor.
With the new 4C being renovated to accommodate for events, Satterlee says there will be priority given to faculty and department events in order to give back to academic-related endeavors.
There will also be the advantage of the proximity to the kitchen, for events with snacks and meals.
Regarding the move of faculty dining back to the atrium, Satterlee says there are new advantages by connecting dining space with the current dining spaces of Cafe 1853, the C-Store and Locke’s Loft.
“It may be more centrally located and be more connected to Gourmet Dining spaces in Thomas and therefore attract more faculty on a regular basis,” said Satterlee.
The atrium provides meals to any member of the staff through purchase of Jasper dollars, dining dollars, cash, credit card, debit card or Gourmet Dining charge form. The operation hours run from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Monday through Friday, except during holidays and when classes aren’t in session.
The school advertises the dining space as follows: “Located on the second floor of Thomas Hall in the Cafe 1853 atrium, faculty dining is exclusive to faculty and employees of Manhattan College, and offers hot entree menu items, salad/deli bar, soups, desserts, coffee, tea, and beverages.” A weekly menu is posted on the website’s announcement page.
The new Kelly 4C is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 1 for the STEM Career Fair, according to Satterlee.