On Jan. 18, the Bakersfield College Student Government Association opened a new student lounge in the cafeteria.
The lounge opens Monday through Thursday, and there is a possibility it might open on Fridays. BC plans to open the lounge from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. BC officials say that so far, having someone supervise the lounge regularly has been difficult; even Dean of Students Don Turney has covered a shift so that the lounge can stay open.
In order to save money, SGA found a company that provides all the equipment for the lounge, and the company supplies the equipment for a 50-50 split of the profits. All the money that BC receives goes into the SGA fund and goes right back to the students.
The games in the lounge are Dance Dance Revolution, Chinese checkers, chess, House of the Dead, Pac-Man, two-air hockey tables, and two pool tables. The air hockey, chess, and checkers are free. There are also two pool tables available .
Two students enjoying a game of air hockey said they’ve been going to the lounge since the day it opened. Dezzi Avila, 19, a criminal justice major, said she has a friend in the SGA who told her about it. Brandon Benavides, 19, a radiological technology major, said he was excited about the lounge because they have a House of the Dead game that he’s been playing since he was younger.
There is also an Internet jukebox that is connected to a DSL line and can download any song. One feature is that rushed students who want to hear particular songs before going to class can put in some more money to hear the songs sooner.
BC also plans to put in four computers that will have games, and these computers will include access to Myspace. BC also plans to get a wireless network running by Feb. 1. “I’m envisioning students on a nice spring day, lounging on those rocks out there and surfing to their hearts’ content, and it will be fast,” Turney said.
Students and staff can get a MAC number to log on. BC is going to try to keep it a free service, but there might be a charge in the long run to maintain the system. Turney said BC would keep the charge as low as possible.
BC plans to keep the student lounge open for the summer with the hope that it will draw more students to the college.