As most students know, underneath the recently renovated Grier Hall is the basement, otherwise known as The Underground. About four years ago, The Underground was a place for students to gather for social events hosted by student organizations, the popular coffeehouse nights, and much more. The Underground served as a non-academic social space for students to enjoy in between classes, on the weekends, or late at night with their friends.
Before the amazing Grier renovation, The Underground was strictly off-limits. The space was incredibly damaged due to a fire and a flood that occurred a few years ago. Once Grier and The Underground were renovated, students, as well as Associated Students of Monmouth College, called on the school to renovate the space and allow students access. Since last year, ASMC worked on developing an ambitious design and layout for the space. Due to budgeting and the ambitious design, those exact plans were not carried through; but the efforts never stopped. Students have been asking for a social space due to our lack of non-academic spaces on campus. The Underground will serve as a multi-purpose space to accommodate those who would like to use it as an area to hang out with friends, to study, to host events, and much more. Students simply need a space to just be students without the interference of the institution’s personnel.
The wait for The Underground to officially open is now over! ASMC and Monmouth First Lady Lobie Stone are currently working on the design of The Underground. The executive team of ASMC has been working closely with Stone on choosing furniture, carpet, lighting, and layout. A week ago, ASMC President Maggie Bruckner and Vice President Jazzmine Howlett joined Stone to complete a walkthrough of the space. During the walkthrough, the three picked out a beautiful carpet and visualized the space in its entirety through discussion of how the area would be laid out.
With hard work and determination, The Underground is projected to open before May 2020. Be excited, Scots!
Maggie Bruckner - Social Media Manager