Once the headquarters of The Suffolk Journal, and more recently, home for eight student groups on campus, Donahue 428 is getting a makeover heading into the Fall 2012 semester, giving it a new purpose.
Based on feedback from the groups within the office space, Director of Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI) David DeAngelis and his team decided it would be best to use the space for storage purposes as well as a general hangout spot.

“We started discussing the idea in October/November of last year based on the groups expressing to us that they needed storage space instead of desks with computers. Now the space will be open for all student groups to use instead of limited to just a certain amount.” DeAngelis said.

The office isn’t turning into a giant storage locker however, DeAngelis noted that couches, computers (fully equipped with Adobe Creative Suite) and printer stations are being acquired in order to place inside the redesigned space. There will also be a large meeting table in the middle of the room for groups to utilize during get-togethers and planning of various events.

“There won’t be any construction going on, but based on a list of what student groups wanted and what resources we have, the space will be better utilized,” the SLI director noted.

DeAngelis expressed a great deal of gratitude towards Student Government, who has given a considerable amount of money to the project in order to buy new furniture and storage space.

“The Student Government gave a good amount of money to the project, and we’re going to try and use some existing furniture in order to keep the costs down. A lot of what the students wanted will be put into the office,” DeAngelis noted.

The storage cabinets will be able to be utilized by as many as 16 groups on campus, doubling the amount that were able to house things in D428 before.

“I think the students will be pretty excited about it,” said DeAngelis.

The half-office, half-lounge area will be open from the hours of 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. for any student or student organizations to use for whatever they may need.