Graduate students get their own lounge

Some graduate students wanted a space they could call their own. So they got the Grad Pad.

This month, the Wells Commons opened a new lounge called the Grad Commons for graduate students on the eighth floor of the east tower in the Herman B Wells Library.

The grad lounge offers students a quiet and comfortable atmosphere suited for research and academic study. The lounge is exclusively reserved for graduate students, and a student must have the proper identification in order to enter.

Graduate students already made use of the space before it was officially opened this month.

“I began studying here at the beginning of September,” graduate student Amy Winter said. “I think the lounge is great. There are always computers open, and it’s nice and quiet.”

The space for the new grad commons is 2,500 square feet, and will take up about 7 percent of the eighth floor, according to the IU Libraries website.

Diane Dallis, the associate dean of the Library Academic Services, said in an email the lounge’s location in the east tower allows students to be within close proximity to library materials.

“Graduate students are some of the heaviest users of the libraries’ print collections,” Dallis said. “Their research needs combined with the need for a quiet environment where they can focus is the reason that this space is reserved for graduate students.”  
Since its opening, news of its existence has been spread via word-of-mouth.
Students said they appreciate its easy accessibility, open computers and peaceful environment.

“I like it a lot,” graduate student Jonah Otto said. “There are available computers and printers, and it is in a convenient location.”

Students like Sam Lovison, a graduate student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, noted that libraries in other buildings tend to become loud and too full.

Overall, many graduate students liked and preferred its graduates-only distinction.
“This floor is definitely the most quiet and productive,” graduate student Ian Custer said. “With grad students, it tends to be more focused and quiet. Plus, it’s nice to have some perks.”

Follow reporter Crystal Hill on Twitter @Crystal__Hill.