Students enjoying the newly renovated 10th floor of the Axinn Library.// Photo courtesy of Lily Spinda

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, Welcome Week leaders and faculty welcomed the Pride back to campus for another school year. Welcome Week reminded returning students of the familiar faces and the wide range of activities that Hofstra University offers. From the delicious ramen noodle station bar at Bits & Bytes to the friendly campus squirrels (and cats), returning students are eager to start the new year while freshmen are soaking in the excitement of what their next four years will look like.

While many of Hofstra’s landmarks and campus staples returned, there were several new additions to the campus over the summer including the newly renovated 10th      floor in the Joan and Donald E. Axinn Library, a new halal based eatery and interior improvements to HofUSA.

The highest floor of the library has been completely renovated with a  panoramic view of Hofstra’s campus featuring a silhouette of New York City’s skyline during sunset. The open floor plan consists of brand-new chairs and tables for both groups and individual students to study.

Scott Serafin, a music education and music performance major, is excited to study on the new floor of the library as he just moved onto campus this week. “It’s going to be really good for people to actually study with a group. Plus, you get a great view.”

“Unlike other study spaces on campus, the 10th floor of the Axinn Library has a completely open format, with seating for various study preferences,” said Paul Romano, who serves as the vice president for facilities and operations. “There are single egg chairs, study carrels, individual and group tables and sofa-style seating. There is seating with a view to the outside, and also areas that face to the interior.”

Robbie Beanland, a junior Italian major, felt frustrated with the lack of study spaces on campus. “Whenever I tried finding space in the new Science and Innovation Center, there is always other students studying in that space. Since I’m a commuter student now, I definitely plan on using the new floor of the library and I hope other students do as well.”

“The new floor of the library now houses people in bigger groups. It’s very open and fresh,” said Jessica Burgos, the senior supervisor of the Axinn Library. Burgos stated that the 10th floor can bring in opportunities for more events and people to the library.

Additionally, HofUSA received new flooring, paint and touch ups to their stage, which is used by many organizations over the year but especially during Greek Week. A “Touch     Tunes Jukebox” was also a summer addition to the late-night eatery.

“I think from what little I’ve seen, the renovations are hard to notice on a large scale, but I really like the jukebox,” said senior publishing studies major and art history minor Marissa Feiler. “It’s definitely going to get a lot of use, and I think it will make for a really fun addition.”

An upcoming renovation for students to look forward to is a new recreation court near the Wellness and Campus Living Center on North Campus offering games, social events and wellness events.

As a commuter, senior civil engineering major Aurisha Rahman believes her strict schedule would prevent her from using the court on the residential side of campus; however, she hopes that other students will get involved with on-campus events at the new court. “I think the freshmen and sophomores will definitely use it because their schedules are hopefully lighter.”

The new recreation court will be completed before the end of the fall semester.