College Reveals Layout of New Student Center

On Monday, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Angie Tissi-Gassoway addressed the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) to introduce the layout for the upcoming Student Center and Dining Commons (referred to as the Student Center in this article). 

Tissi-Gassoway outlined the timeline that the Student Center is expected to follow. “One thing for sure is that we are actually on time and on budget,” she said. “The plan is that this building will be ready and … [we are set] to be moving into it in July.” 

The dining staff will begin training in July, and furniture will be delivered and installed between July and Sept. 26. “We will have a big soft opening in August, which will be a part of orientation for this incoming class [of 2030],” Tissi-Gassoway added. She also clarified that move-in day for the Class of 2030 is scheduled for Aug. 26. 

The Student Center, which will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., will host multiple dining options. The Dining Commons will be open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Grab-n-Go will now be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week. There will also be two new cafes in the Student Center, open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Tissi-Gassoway. One of the cafes will be named after Stanley J. Rabinowitz, Henry Steele Commager professor of Russian emeritus, who passed away in 2024. The new Alumni Pub will be open Thursday through Sunday with extended hours on Saturday nights, providing alcoholic drinks to faculty and students above the age of 21.

Tissi-Gassoway unveiled plans for the new recreational and community spaces on each floor. The Student Center will function as a centralizing force on campus where “students across all organizations will have the opportunity to [really] ... engage with the community ... which lends itself to collaboration.” To promote community and collaboration through its design, the Student Center will include new lounge spaces; a black box film theatre; a game room equipped with pool, foosball, and shuffleboard tables; dance and movement spaces; and event spaces.  

Many registered student organizations (RSOs) and performance studios will find a new home in the Student Center. “If they’re currently in the basement of a residence hall, they’re going into this building,” said Tissi-Gassoway. The move will include prayer rooms, cultural and faith-based RSO spaces, The Student’s newsroom, music practice rooms, and dance studios. When asked what would happen to the former spaces, Tissi-Gassoway said that they will be made into dorm rooms for students.

To support the transition to the Student Center, the office of Student Affairs will meet with RSOs to determine what items need to be moved. “We will ask students to help us identify what [they want], and help us pack it up, but then we will move it all,” Tissi-Gassoway said. She added that no furniture will be taken from the current spaces; instead, the college will provide new furniture for each space.

The Student Center is expected to provide many jobs to students both in this coming summer and during the school year. “Our plan is to have students who work with us over the summer, and so we’ll hire quite a lot of students … to help us move things [from RSO spaces] and pack everything up,” Tissi-Gassoway said. She shared that there will be an employment fair during this semester exclusively for positions at the Student Center. 

Tissi-Gassoway then shared potential plans for the Keefe Campus Center, explaining that it will likely become a space for student services that cannot fit into the new Student Center. “They’re already starting design … and likely will start construction in the spring of [20]27, and that will take about a year.” She emphasized that while there is a plan, “we’re still working on who will be in there and what it will look like.” 

According to Tissi-Gassoway, the Student Center will cover an area of 160,000 square feet. In comparison, Valentine Dining and Residence Halls, and Keefe Campus Center combined are 75,000 square feet. The new Dining Commons will accommodate just shy of 1000 people, compared to Valentine Dining Hall’s current seating capacity of 600, according to Tissi-Gassoway. 

“I’m so excited for this building,” Tissi-Gassoway said. “I think this will be truly incredible for Amherst.”