This past Tuesday, April 21, Keene State College’s Lloyd P. Young Student Center held its twentieth birthday party.
Students, faculty and staff gathered to enjoy a variety of snacks that ranged from ice cream sandwiches, ice cream sundaes, chocolate fountains and cupcakes.
They not only had food, but were also giving away free sunglasses. Students said the student center is a place on campus where they can come for a quick snack, hang out with friends, get the chance to play games, find a quiet place to study and visit the administrative offices.
The student center is filled with numerous rooms, food selections and offices.
Paul Striffolino, the assistant vice president of student affairs, said the turnout of this event was a success. He claims the overall point of this birthday party was to show students how amazing the student center really is.
He said the event was held “because the student center is such an important part of student life.”
He also said, “It was transformative when we opened the building back in [1995] and it continues to be such a gem for the campus and a central gathering point and catalyst for student life on campus.”
According to Striffolino, ever since the student center opened it has become a central location for student life.
He said the student center has transformed the way KSC students go about their days.
Sue Walthour, administrative assistant for the student center, said everyone seemed to be having a
Tara Levy / Equinox Staff
good time as the music played and everyone was able to enjoy some snacks.
One first-year student, Brittney Malouin, said her favorite part was the ice cream selection. Malouin said she would really like to see an event like this happen again in the future.
“It’s a lot of fun and I feel like it draws the school into one place and we can all just enjoy something together,” Malouin said.
Malouin said students are always involved in activities in this building, so this birthday party was a good opportunity for students to appreciate and be thankful for this building.
Striffolino said the twentieth anniversary of the student center means a lot to everyone at KSC, including himself.
Walthour agreed. She said, “There was nothing like this prior to the student center, there was a little . . . student union I think since 1947, but it was a tiny space.”
“There was nothing like the atrium, the dining rooms, the Owls Nests, the Bean and Bagel, Lloyd’s [or] the student offices. There just wasn’t room for all of this. This is the hub of the activity,” Walthour explained.
Walthour said the student center has transformed the lives of KSC students, making things a bit easier with their busy college schedules.
She said this birthday party was a nice excuse to take students’ minds off their busy days.
Striffolino added, “It’s just fun to celebrate good things.”
According to Striffolino, the location of the student center also makes the anniversary convenient for everyone to enjoy.
“The upside so far of this building is everyone cruises through here so when we set something up like this it’s a great opportunity for students to stop and take advantage of what we put out there,” Striffolino said.
According to Striffolino, the event was relatively easy to put together.
“I mean, organizing some food, getting some old photographs, digging out some videos of a student TV station on campus that was interviewing me when we opened the building, before we opened it and then ordering the glasses. So it really wasn’t too tough,” Striffolino said.
However, Walthour said there was a lot of effort that went into the whole process.
“It’s actually taken a number of months, believe it or not,” Walthour said.
She wanted everyone to know that there is no place like the student center here on campus. It’s the hub for almost all student activity.
Walthour said she saw everyone having a great time at the birthday party and saw the event as a real big hit.
Tara Levy can be contacted at tlevy@kscequinox.com
