By: Chris Cote-McLaughlin

To much ado and excitement, Suffolk recently reopened the doors of the ninth floor to a new lounge (aptly titled the ninth floor library study lounge.) At times when the library may prove far too crowded, or Café 73 may be far too loud, the ninth floor lounge may be the perfect quiet getaway for both on-campus and commuter students. While the lounge remains somewhat of a “campus secret” for now,  its walls and bay windows hold features that could very well make it a Suffolk University staple.

The lounge itself boasts a long, spacious hall with tall ceilings and arguably some of the best views on campus. Comfortable couches and armchairs line the lounge, as well as an ample amount of complacent and conveniently placed study areas. Enormous, wall mounted flat-screen TVs create both an area for study and leisure. A tall stretch table with bar seating runs almost as the lounges spine, creating not only a fantastic work area, but also a social hive. Perhaps the lounge’s most useful feature, study and conference rooms border the length of the hall, similar to those in the library.

Large bay windows overlook Boston, from downtown, to Fenway, with some of the city’s most iconic landmarks on clear display. With such panoramic and dynamic sights as far from the Prudential Center to the Citgo sign, nearly every single neighborhood is in sight, emblematically capturing residencies of many of the school’s commuter students. Certainly a spectacle to behold, the view alone would be enough to capture the attention of countless Suffolk students.

A great improvement that the lounge brings to Suffolk’s campus is more of a “campus feel,” some say. “It’s beautiful,” said sophomore Jackie Devanni.

“It’s surprising to see so many people up here, it was definitely needed.”

While other common spots on campus such as in residency halls are open to on-campus students only, a great appeal of the ninth floor library study lounge is its availability to commuter students as well.

“I commute from Fenway, so it’s nice to see that there is somewhere for all of us [commuter students] to hang out while we’re not in class,” said Devanni.

With Suffolk’s opening of the new space, it seems that there is more of an interest in student involvement.

“The new lounge will definitely end up in my spending more time on campus,” said sophomore Meghan Becker. It appears that the addition of the ninth floor could perhaps lead to an influx of student activity and involvement on campus.

From student feedback, it appears the ninth floor library study lounge has been a great success in its debut. While Suffolk’s motto may be that “Boston is your campus,” Suffolk may be making one of its own.