Griff the Lion joined around two dozen cheering students, members of the Student Government Association (SGA), and college administrators to cut the purple ribbon on the brand new Griff’s Game Room on Tuesday, Jan. 13.

Located on the second floor of the Little Building, the game room replaces two large classrooms. The space now features a pool table, air hockey, foosball tables, a Nintendo Switch, and a wide variety of board games. Pink walls and large marquee posters of movies that Emerson College alumni worked on now adorn the previously bare, off-white walls. A neon sign of the Griff’s Game Room logo can easily be seen from Boylston Street.

Georgia Winn, the executive president of SGA, kicked off the ribbon-cutting ceremony that included Griff and Emerson President Jay Bernhardt. She noted that creating third spaces for students to foster organic community connections—rather than designated study or workspace—has been a key point of student feedback.

“[Third spaces] are an entry point for belonging,” Winn said during the ceremony. “They are places where conversations can happen organically, and friendships can form accidentally.”

Bernhardt described Griff’s Game Room as a “tangible piece” of the Extraordinary Emerson 2030 strategic plan and the college’s commitment to building community through “new spaces and new opportunities.” He also hinted at future announcements about additional spaces that will “bring Emersonians together.”

While the details of these future spaces are not yet known, Christie Anglade, Emerson’s vice president for student affairs, shared in a written statement to The Beacon that there is an intentional process underway to identify more third spaces on campus.

“That does not mean a large number of brand new buildouts, but it does mean being intentional about how existing areas can better support connection, relaxation, and community for all members of our campus,” Anglade said.

Priority C of Emerson’s strategic plan focuses on building a vibrant and inclusive campus experience through engagement, communication, and collaboration. Anglade emphasized that this priority includes evaluating physical spaces to improve how they foster community connection.

“Griff’s is proof of the promise to build a stronger, more joyful community,” Anglade wrote. “We know how important third spaces are for students, and we are looking thoughtfully at where we can enhance gathering options across campus.”

Some spaces already identified in the strategic plan include a proposed Alumni Center on the Boston campus, intended to host events such as Alumni Weekend and Alumni Board meetings.

“Building a vibrant and inclusive community and intentionally using our facilities to foster that community is a key part of Emerson 2030,” a college spokesperson said in a statement to The Beacon. “We are pleased to give our students a space they have been asking for and look forward to seeing our current and future students continue to find joy and connection at Griff’s.”

SGA Executive Treasurer Oliver Katz noted that community building is often a part of many colleges’ strategic plans, and Emerson is no exception. While universities such as Boston University have large student union buildings, Katz pointed out that Emerson students typically gather in spaces like the Lion’s Den and 172 Tremont.

Griff’s Game Room, he said, will also benefit off-campus and commuter students.

“I think having the game room will be a way for off-campus students to access more informal spaces,” Katz explained. “It will also just be a way to meet new people that you wouldn’t meet because you don’t live in the building.”

Executive Vice President of SGA Angus Abercrombie, who previously served as the organization’s vice treasurer, shared that the administration held several meetings with SGA leadership about third spaces on campus.

“Ultimately, our priority was to see what could be done to make a meaningful change within the short time horizons that Emerson students today have,” he said.

Abercrombie revealed that an unused “small pot” of money from the facilities budget, totaling roughly $200,000, was utilized to fund the game room.

In 2023, Emerson was ranked worst for financial aid in the United States by the Princeton Review. The college has since improved to third place. However, enrollment has dropped, a change attributed in part to “negative press and social media” following student-led pro-Palestine demonstrations and the arrest of 118 people in April 2024.

This decline in enrollment has impacted Emerson’s budget. Last summer, the college laid off 5% of its staff due to budget reductions and offered voluntary resignation benefit packages.

In response to students who wished the funding had gone toward tuition relief, Katz clarified that, to his knowledge, the money could only be used for facilities-related projects.

According to Abercrombie, a $200,000 tuition relief dispensed across the student body would not be substantial enough to significantly offset the rising cost of higher education.

“This isn’t a million-dollar dream game room,” Abercrombie said. “But if you were to compare that to providing additional academic services or reducing tuition significantly per student, it would be such a drop in the bucket.”

Anglade explained that the administration is working to balance fiscal responsibility with strategic investments.

“We will always balance fiscal responsibility with investments that strengthen the student experience. Creating opportunities for students to build community is an important part of that balance,” she said.

Across campus, Winn noted that there is a desire among Emerson’s student body to better understand the institutional finance process.

“We can put more effort towards helping to demystify how budgeting occurs, what the scale of the budget is, and where certain funds are allowed to be allocated,” Winn said. “College funds are pretty specifically allocated. You can only put certain money in certain places.”

Abercrombie added that third spaces like Griff’s Game Room could be a key draw for prospective students.

“One of the most powerful things that makes students who come to Emerson stay at Emerson and not transfer out is having a solid and supportive community,” he said. “Providing space for [students] to feel [community] here in Little Building in their freshman year will [make them] want to stay at Emerson.”
https://berkeleybeacon.com/emerson-college-unveils-griffs-200000-game-room/