Campus cafe renovated for Reddies
ARKADELPHIA — Henderson State University recently completed a $200,000 renovation of the Reddie Café on campus in response to student requests.
The project was undertaken due to feedback from current and prospective students, who said they are interested in a vibrant campus life. The new Reddie Café was designed as a facility for students to spend time with friends, study, relax and attend informal events.
“It was super important to students to update the Reddie Café because the old Reddie Café looked like what one student called a ‘nursing home cafeteria,’” said Mason Graves, vice president for public relations for the Henderson State Student Government Association.
“The Garrison Center is also a central location on campus where students love to meet up with friends, hang out between classes, eat lunch and get last-minute homework done. This new space gives us students that and much more.”
Students were consulted for design elements, preferring warm colors and comfortable seating to the previous “sterile white space.” The redesign took the shape of a modern coffee house.
“In addition, with the various purposes students expressed for the space, we also knew flexibility would be important,” said Brett Powell, interim vice president for student affairs. “As a result, the seating varies from booths to tables and chairs to lounge chairs and sofas.
“The space has a small stage and sound system for performances, but also televisions that can be used for multiple purposes, from the obvious entertainment options to connecting game systems and even connecting a laptop to work on a group project.”
“When SGA was approached by Dr. Powell to help lead this project, we made sure that students were involved in nearly every decision that was made,” said SGA President Suzanne Sorrells, a Centerpoint High School graduate from Amity. “We did this through multiple social media campaigns and surveys sent out to the student population.”
Powell said the renovation was completely student-driven. He said the university’s response to student needs and wishes began in the spring semester.
“Sometime in February, Clayton Sorrels, last year’s SGA president, and I started talking about preliminary ideas and Clayton began seeking input from the student body,” Powell said. “We took those ideas to SCM Architects to get them on paper, made a few adjustments, and finalized the plans in May.”
The university selected CBM Construction for the project and work was completed in early August. The total cost of the project was about $200,000.
“So, it wasn’t an expensive undertaking, but has made a tremendous difference in the Café,” Powell added.
Suzanne Sorrells said students are responding positively to the changes.
“They like that it is ‘their space,’” Sorrells said. “It is a comfortable and inviting place where they can hang out, eat or study.”
Student leadership and the university administration are working together to plan the next improvement designed to benefit students and student life. SGA leaders said they want to bring more food options to campus, such as Hibachi nights and Chick-fil-A breakfast.
“We are also working closely with many others to help improve everyday student life on Henderson State’s campus,” Graves said. “We work to make sure all comments and concerns are heard in order to make Henderson State an even better place to attend college.”