By Fabiha Khalid
staff writer
The University is in the process of finalizing renovation plans for both the Rathskeller and the basement of the Student Center as a whole. The changes, which are expected to be made over the summer, include removing the furniture that bears the markings of generations of Greek life members.
Vice President of Student Affairs W. Houston Dougharty led the effort to assess student needs and felt that the Rathskeller, Game Room and the rest of the basement of the Student Center need “the most love.”
Dougharty has been at Hofstra for about two years now, and this is a project that has been in progress since he began here. He has worked with three sets of student leaders and they have finally reached a verdict as to what is to be done in the lower level of the Student Center.
Currently, the Rathskellar – also known as the Rat – is a space that is open to all students, but is really only utilized by Greek life and a few other organizations.
There are tables in the space that have each been claimed by fraternities or sororities, bearing markings that signify what organization uses it.
Reba Putorti, a senior member of the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon, feels the Rathskellar is currently exclusive. “[The Rat] is not welcoming to other students,” she said.
Dougharty and Sara Diem, assistant director for the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement (OSLE), organized a committee to address this issue.
They gathered people from the Division of Student Affairs, the Student Government Association, Compass Dining and the Facilities and Operations Department. Throughout the process, members of Greek life were encouraged to ask questions and offer commentary.
The committee wanted a solution that wouldn’t disturb current Greek life members, but would also welcome all students.
“We need to expand the Rathskeller, physically and in terms of its identity, so that anyone can pop down there between classes and see their friends from Greek life,” Dougharty said. “We need a ‘wow’ factor.”
The design firm hired for this project is based in New York City and has an eye for this type of work. Kouzmanoff Bainton Architects have done renovations at several other campuses including Fordham University and Columbia University. The company plans on creating a living room environment in the basement.
“All of us are incredibly enthusiastic,” Dougharty said.
The designers have drawn plans that include installing wood floors and new booths.
“There will be new booths, tables, chairs, stools and other places to sit and hang out,” Dougharty said. “The new furniture will allow groups of students – including fraternity and sorority members – to gather together.”
Although many members of Greek life feel the current furniture has significant historic value, rumors of the tables being removed are true.
As for the crests and plaques currently featured in the basement, Diem said, “We saw some digital mockups and it was really cool to see that [the designers] had taken the time to put in the actual plaques and signs refigured in a mural, collage-type way, which looked pretty awesome. The tables and anything remaining will go to the alumni, and we definitely recognize the identity and presence of fraternity and sorority life.”
This is seen as both a great idea and a bit problematic for different members of Greek life.
For Putorti, the renovations can also be proven to be advantageous for fraternities and sororities. “From a recruiting standpoint, the renovations will definitely have more of an appeal to prospective members,” she said.
Junior biochemistry major, Mehrab Ahsan, who is a member of Phi Delta Epsilon, a co-ed premedical fraternity, and Phi Kappa Theta, a social fraternity had contrasting thoughts. “I’m not a fan of this. I liked that the Rat was a place for Greek orgs to have a space on campus to themselves,” he said. “It was just an unspoken rule that it was where Greek orgs could go to hang out with each other and it was nice to be able to not be bothered by everyone [on] campus.”
Ahsan said he used the space to get to know new members better. “It really helped foster a sense of family when you’re eating dinner in a big booth with them,” he said. “I also have gotten to see all my friends in other Greek organizations whenever I’m in there, which is really awesome for me, because I made a lot of good friends this way.”
The basement is also a place for people to eat. Questions of adding a Starbucks, Panera Bread or some other establishment have been brought up.
“Personally, I would like a bigger Starbucks in the Greenhouse, but the feedback from the students was that we can get coffee, we can get food from the Student Center. We just need a place to land and hang out,” Dougharty said.
Any summer camps or events to take place in the basement have been moved to other locations already. Although the goal is to complete the project before the fall 2016 semester, renovations may be ongoing during that time.
When Allison Wolf, a freshman public relations major, saw sample images of the designs intended for the Rathskeller she said, “I never felt that I was excluded from the space, but I also never felt the need to be in the space either. From the outside looking in, I can’t see why anyone would want to hang out in the space, but the sample images do look nice. It looks very modern and fits the image of Hofstra much better.”
