While construction on the Sarner Underground started this summer, the opening date was been pushed back due to budget issues and is currently awaiting approval from the Town of Hanover and the Hanover Police Department, according to Ramsey. Furniture also must be delivered before the area can open.
The space will be open to the student body 24 hours a day, and students will be able to access the Sarner Underground through a ramp to the left of the main entrance of '53 Commons once it opens. Undergraduate student organizations will also be able to reserve the space for exclusive use. All of the rooms have features tailored to student needs, according to Ramsey. The main 2,700-square-foot event space is designed to accommodate a wide range of performances and activities and includes a partial springboard floor with a mirrored wall for dance performances and rehearsals. It is also outfitted with a green room and lighting and sound systems.
The main room can be partitioned with a collapsible wall to allow for simultaneous use by more than one organization, a feature unique to this space.
"[The main room] is about two-thirds the size of Collis Common Ground, and that sometimes feels too big, so this partition means it can be used for a range of different activities," Ramsey said.
The smaller rooms will be filled with "lots of comfy lounge furniture" and will also have a banquet table on which clubs can set up displays, according to Ramsey. The meeting room will have a flat-screen television to which students can connect their computers to project presentations and other media.
"I'm really pleased with how seriously the administrators took the students' feedback when making decisions about what to do with this space," Salman Rajput '14 said.
The College administration and Collis Center worked with a student advisory committee to customize Sarner Underground to student needs. In addition, student groups, such as SHEBA dance troupe, and the general student body were invited to contribute ideas, according to Rajput.
While the project has been underway for several months, some students said they were unaware that the renovation began or that it is nearly completed. There was also some confusion among interviewed students about the projected opening of the space and its purpose.
"I think if it's used effectively, it could be a great asset," Alison Lanois '15 said. "We do have a lot of spaces available already. It would be great if it could serve a purpose other spaces don't."
Planning for the new space has been underway for years and has been part of the original renovations that turned Thayer Dining Hall into '53 Commons, Ramsey said. The basement was previously occupied by a bakery, which has moved onto the main floor of '53 Commons since the remodeling occurred.
"It has great high ceilings left over so it's kind of an ideal student space," Ramsey said. "This part just wasn't built out until now."
The renovations were funded by a donation from the Sarner family.
