Despite the name, new student lounge anything but a place to stay hidden

For more than a year, Purdue University Fort Wayne students walked past the former first-floor entrance to the Mastodon Campus Store wondering what might happen with the empty space.

“You would be shocked how many people would ask me about it,” said Mikayla Haggarty, former president of the Student Government Association. “I wanted to tell them so badly, but I’d just say, `You are in for a surprise.’”

The surprise has finally been revealed with this semester’s introduction of the new Herd Hideout, a dedicated student lounge for collaboration and socialization to foster a better sense of community. With comfortable chairs and tables, four big-screen monitors, a study/meeting area, air hockey, shuffleboard, and an area to check out flyers, it’s got just enough of everything to let students relax, gather socially, or just get some homework done.

For anyone new to campus, the hideout’s location at Walb Student Union is in the hallway that leads to the International Ballroom and Gates Sports Center. Fittingly, it’s also across from the new display of mastodon bones. The hideout is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., which are also Walb’s normal hours.  

Long noted for having plenty of offices, the union finally has a place for students to call their own.

“It was so hard to walk past that space every morning and see it sit empty for a year and know that it could be used for exactly what it turned into,” said Alex Backer, the executive director of student engagement who advises SGA. “It’s a space to go grab a coffee, meet with friends, or sneak around the corner and actually get some studying done. It’s something you can walk toward and realize this is a student union location where you can spend some time.”

The location will be especially convenient for members of The Herd, PFW’s organized student cheering section, to gather before sporting events.

“It has the same name as us, so it would be silly if we didn’t use it for things!” said Nevaya Deck, president of The Herd.

There’s also a bigger meaning the hideout represents.

“We’re clearly transitioning from a commuter college to a traditional one,” Haggarty said. “I saw it when I was working during new student orientation and all these new students arrived with expectations of experiencing a traditional college. And then you got here, and there really was limited space to just hang out. Now, this is that next step to continuing to build that culture and community.”

With guidance from Backer and Abbey Wang, assistant director for Student Leadership and SGA, Haggarty was the project coordinator during her tenure as president. The organizational leadership major remembers starting in July 2023 with plans she presented to Krissy Surface, vice chancellor for enrollment management and the student experience, followed by a meeting with Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer.

“I think it was the second time I had met with him, so it was very bold to get the ball rolling on a new project,” Haggarty said. “He was all for it and had nothing but good things to say. I think he saw the need as well for students to have a space, and it comes off very clearly in his leadership that he prioritizes students.”

After those approvals, Haggarty started working on designs with Carissa Bloom, project manager in Facilities Management. Once the vision was complete, the project was taken to the SGA senate for funding, with guidance from Maleah Boyd, vice president of legislation for SGA currently and in 2023-24, and input from Emma Hedrick, former vice president of finance for SGA. Student senate provided its approval in February, which allowed Haggarty to order furniture.

Work continued throughout the summer, though various delays meant the final pieces were not delivered to campus until Sept. 16. As the hideout began to take shape, new students on orientation tours would stick their heads inside the open doors to see what was going on.

Now, Haggarty’s term as president is finished, and she can enjoy the space like any other student.

“I’m kind of still in shock that this is what all those emails and meetings were about,” Haggarty said. “It’s weird that I can actually touch it and sit here now. I think the response is seen when I walk by and see people in there using and enjoying it.”

As for the name, Herd Hideout was selected from among several options in a student senate vote.

“It’s fun to watch students pop in and realize it is a space for them,” Backer said. “I tell SGA officers, `You can do something that is impactful and leave a legacy.’ It’s my mission to get them to believe that and ask the questions of the right people to make things happen.”