In previous years, students were able to grab a beverage and hang out between classes as well as attend night events ranging from trivia nights to pub nights hosted by LinX. This past September the managers decided to hold back on serving alcohol to try out a new vision for the campus hangout.
Last year, the themed nights would happen every week. This gave students who live on and off campus to come together and socialize after a long week of classes. Third-year Humber sports management student Alex Taalman, reflecting on the lounge, said, “It has given me a good place to meet new people and hang out with all my friends, especially on Thursday’s pub nights.”
Many students share the same experience as Taalman; however, they should look forward to a new lounge with more selections of food and drinks, said Humber College’s director of ancillary services, Paul Iskander. While this change of no alcohol may seem to be negative to a large amount of students, there is a new plan on the horizon that will positively impact the student body.
In an interview with Iskander, he discussed the future of LinX and how he would like to change the space. “The intent is to use the space as a hub for students to enjoy, de-stress and to make new friends,” he said.
While this is already what the lounge is being used for, he says that it is going to have a whole new feel with new games and food options. Iskander also wants to shift the focus of the space to enjoyment for students rather than the lounge focusing on alcohol. This may include additional games besides ping-pong and pool, a variety appetizers and a larger selection of craft alcoholic beverages.
University of Guelph-Humber business program professor Patricia Peel says that this new plan would be “Targeting a different audience that would prefer not to go to a bar, but prefer to go to a social hangout for students.” She says that this could be good for the lounge if Humber wants to change the focus to a more hangout-friendly oriented space rather than just a place to consume alcohol.
Iskander says they are hoping for these changes to be implemented in early January by the start of second semester. This gives students something to look forward to during the cold months that come with second semester.
With this new plan for the lounge, Iskander intends to work with IGNITE services to get students involved in suggesting new ideas for the revamped area. IGNITE services will announce how to get involved within the following months.
