Courtesy of Sean Elliot
Nearly three months from my original article, I come to you again, readers, with another Crozier-Williams update. What the College originally promised to be a finish by this February has now moved to close to the end of the school year, and the student body can look forward to the 1962 Room opening on April 1, and the rest of the College Center building on April 14. Dean of Students Victor Arcelus emphasizes that students will be able to see Cro before the end of the year, despite the fact that noticeable progress on the student-accessible part of Cro seems hard to spot. Not only will Cro be up and operational, but new student jobs will also be offered at Oasis Cafe and Humphrey’s Pub soon. One of the most anticipated additions to Cro is the update of Oasis and Humphrey’s.
We have seen the unveiling and introduction of the new walkway in front of Shain Library, Plant, and Branford houses, aptly named “Cro Promenade.” This is a major improvement from when the student body returned to campus last August to navigate fences, cranes and piles of dirt. By the end of the school year, we will have a fully fleshed-out Crozier-Williams building, and according to Arcelus, “this spring, [the other part of] Cro Boulevard will be started on.” This phase of construction will extend the pedestrian promenade to Harris Refectory and the Plex.
Arcelus also mentioned some of the reasons why the building on Cro has been delayed. The construction crew encountered unexpected difficulties, such as the main staircase in Cro that had to be completely removed, adding to the time frame. The good thing about this time frame extension, however, is that the construction crews are now able to do the work that would have made more of the land around Cro inaccessible over spring break.
The revamp of Oasis and Humphrey’s is particularly interesting because it relies on student participation and workers. “They want Humphrey’s to be run by students and be run as a business,” Arcelus said, which would help many gain valuable career experience. Not only that, but there will also be a survey sent out in the next few weeks on what these two venues should serve. From what kinds of food (bar food, snacks, etc.) and drinks (boba, smoothies, mocktails, kombucha) to job applications, students will now be heavily involved in the process.
“We are pursuing with the state of Connecticut a restaurant license [for Humphrey’s],”
Arcelus said. This will make the pub more of an all-student friendly space, as those who cannot drink or do not want to still can come, interact with others, sit on a warmed patio, and drink mocktails. Food will also be served at Humphrey’s and can be ordered online at Oasis to be delivered up to Humphrey’s, making it a flowing space for all students. Humphrey’s is supposed to be “a space where students just come and enjoy themselves.”
The last issue students have is worry over the loss of parking spots. Unfortunately, the parking that used to be on Cro Boulevard in front of Shain Library is now gone, but Arcelus assures that there will not be a loss of total spots on campus. Last summer, more spots were added to the East Lot by Zachs Hillel House and the Plex, and this summer it will be expanded with even more spots.
Although the student body has waited for Crozier-Williams to be finished for longer than promised, the rewards they will receive for their patience are considerable. Not only is there more student participation coming to Cro, but it will also be a more accessible and enjoyable space for all. The College aims to transform the building into a true student gathering place, which comes from expanding Humphrey’s (and Oasis), making it an inclusive space for those under 21, and attempting to turn it into a performance space for comedy shows, campus artists, and others. Hopefully, these long-awaited renovations will prove worthwhile for the student body, and we will have another gathering space once more, less than a month after spring break.
