The Goshen College Commuter Lounge is on the move once again, with its latest relocation expected to be ready by the end of September or early October. The space was originally scheduled to open at the start of the academic year, but delays have since pushed the timeline back.

According to the Goshen College website, “around four out of every ten Goshen students live off campus.” Many of these students have long hoped for a permanent place on campus where they can study, relax and feel a sense of belonging.

The new lounge will be located in the former Leadership Hub space — a space that previously housed the kitchen after it was relocated during the construction of the Westlawn building. The Leadership Hub itself will remain on the first floor of Wyse Hall alongside the Student Life offices.

Meanwhile, the area that previously served as the Commuter Lounge will become the Windows Computer Lab. This follows a chain of relocations explained by Gilberto Pérez Jr., dean of students. “During the Academic Success Center remodeling, the librarians were moved into the computer lab,” he said.

This marks the fourth relocation of the commuter lounge in recent years. The most recent move occurred two years ago, when the lounge was housed in the Union Building. Despite the older space, students appreciated having a dedicated area. Junior nursing major Javier Reyes recalled, “A lot of people liked it despite it not being the newest. It was our space, and people really enjoyed it for what it was.” He admitted that the reason for the change was initially confusing but added, “Once it was explained that it was to create more workspace and office space for students and staff, people were like, ‘Alright, as long as we eventually get our space back or a space on campus.’”

Pérez Jr. shared that the upcoming lounge will offer improved facilities and better space planning. “Now they’ll have a sort of kitchen where they can wash their dishes,” he said, “and then we’ll have all new furniture, more state-of-the-art, more comfortable.”

One frequent topic of discussion has been how the space will be used — whether primarily for studying, resting or simply as a meeting place between classes. Pérez Jr. hopes the new location will meet all of those needs: “There’ll be some hot areas. There’ll be more serious study areas, some relaxed areas.”

Reyes, however, expressed concern about the new location. “Personally, I feel like it’s a bit of a drawback that we’re moving into a slightly smaller space that’s going to be oriented differently,” he said. He noted that the previous lounge featured large windows and plenty of sunlight and could additionally be used as an event space because of its size. “It was a very varied space, and you don’t really notice those things until they’re gone,” he added.

To ensure the new lounge truly reflected commuter students’ needs, their input played a key role in the planning process. On April 23, 2025, a planning meeting brought together students Citlali Hernandez, Mona Galeb Magaly Gonzalez and Javier Reyes along with faculty members Gilberto Pérez Jr., Brian Mast, Cynthia Good, Patty Hartshorn, and Ben Bontrager. During the meeting, the budget — set between $75,000 and $100,000 — was allocated for furnishing, upgrades, and designing the space to fit student preferences.

While construction continues, commuter students have been using the Wyse Hall Hub as a temporary lounge. “We have opened up the Intercultural Student Space on the first floor of Wyse,” explained Pérez Jr., “and we’ve made that also a commuter lounge.”

However, not everyone finds the temporary setup ideal. “Right now, it just feels like commuter students don’t really have a space on campus,” said Reyes. “I’ve heard that from a lot of different commuters, first-year commuters as well as upper classmen and some of my peers, and I have to agree because I’m having some trouble finding places to work that aren’t taken up in Westlawn or just a place to sleep without worrying about disturbing people in the library. Even in the temporary commuter space, the rooms are so small that it’s easy to bump into somebody or feel uncomfortable because you’re too close to other people when you’re trying to rest or just lounge around.”

Pérez Jr. added that the new location will help address some of those issues. “It’s close to the Leaf Raker, and there’s actually better access now to the restrooms,” he said, noting that the space will be more convenient for students overall.

“We’re excited that the Commuter Lounge will come back in a new form,” said Pérez Jr. “We’re very grateful to the commuter students who met with the administration and gave their opinions, ideas, and suggestions.”

Reyes echoed this excitement while acknowledging the current challenges. “I’m still excited to see the space and see what kind of events we’re able to hold in it,” he said. “But for now, it’s a little awkward trying to find my spots around campus. Especially since this semester I have to stay pretty late on campus, it’s been a little hard to find a good groove.”