Students get early tour of student center

Claflin University student journalists, from left, Tyuanna Williams, Tyler Starks and Damaia Davis tour the outdoor dining space at Claflin's new student center. (Larry Hardy/TheTandD.com)

On Monday, March 18, a group of student reporters was given the opportunity to tour the new Claflin University student center before its opening on Friday, March 22.

Dr. Arthur Doctor, dean of students, guided the tour, showing all three floors of the new facility located at Magnolia and Goff Avenue.

The first floor houses a movie theater, food places, a campus store and an open sitting area. Doctor explained that everything in the student center is cashless, and you can pay with only your card, Apple Pay and even Panther Bucks.

Students will be astounded by the new food options available to them like Papa John’s, Q-Doba and Starbucks.

The movie theater was the major highlight of the tour. It can seat 172 and can be converted into an auditorium in the case of a public meeting. The new-release movie, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” played at the theater on opening night, March 22.

The second floor consists of meeting rooms, student study rooms and the new offices of SGA, SAB and Doctor.

The meeting rooms will be open to all campus organizations and members of the community who desire a meeting area. The chairs and tables can move and adjust to whatever suits the user and devices can automatically link up to the TV.

Student study rooms come in two styles, one with a desk for better studying and another with a beanbag chair for relaxation. Both rooms have adjustable lights.

The third floor is home to the ballroom, game room and an eSports lounge.

The ballroom can seat 800 people and can be split up into three different rooms. Campus events will be held here, and members of the community can rent it out for their events.

The game room has a few TVs for students to come and bring their game systems in and play them. An outdoor patio is available outside the game room.

 The eSports room is the new home for the school’s eSports team. They can practice and compete against other schools’ teams in the room.