With Midterms in full swing, many students are undergoing a lot of stress. During finals, It’s often difficult to find time to rewind and enjoy yourself. It’s often hard to even find peace and quiet for studying. This campus may be small, but it has tons of ‘hidden’ spots that you can enjoy in your free time. For example, did you know that SWOSU has a free pool with lifeguards? When I asked my peers about the pool, located in Rankin Williams Fieldhouse, nearly all the responses I received were along the lines of “We have a pool?”, We do! There’s also a basketball court! And that’s why I’m here to tell you about some of the other awesome spots on campus that you may not know about.
Located in the lobby of Black Kettle sits a cinema room free to use, a game room, and a conference room. Gather your closest friends and enjoy a night full of movies, ping pong, and pool! With plenty of seating all around, you’ll be sure to have a fun time conversing with your friends.
If you need a quiet place to hangout or do homework, nearly every department at SWOSU has a designated student lounge. These lounges are great for hanging out with your friends, grabbing a snack, cramming before your test, or getting away from your roommate. The student lounge for the arts department boasts a recycled clay wheel for students to use for free, as well as comfy couches, a coffee maker, a microwave, and computers with Adobe Creative Suites. There is also an outdoor portion that includes a fire pit!
Over in the fine arts center, their lounge consists of some very comfy couches with movable tables with outlets, set up in a semicircle which is great for conversations. It sits on a ledge overlooking the rest of the fine arts lobby. The lobby also has 4 circular tables for you and your hundreds of friends. You will always see groups of friends sitting here and enjoying each other’s company!
Right next door, Mann South has a cozy lounge on the first floor with a large TV and restaurant-style booths.
Over in the Chemistry Pharmacy Physics building on the third floor they have a large student lounge with a kitchenette stocked with snacks. There are many seats available for students to study in, and even office supplies available at your disposal. There is another student lounge located on the first floor that also has a kitchenette. This room has both a smart board and a whiteboard facing the desks that are set up in a conference style. And if you get uncomfy, there’s a cool couch you can lounge on.
If you want to take a moment away from campus once it warms up, SWOSU has resources at Crowder Lake that allow you to fish, kayak, hike, and camp. Tent and RV campsites are available for reservation starting at $12 with a nearby mile long, paved, nature trail. Want to test your luck with fishing? Crowder Lake has been designated a trophy bass lake by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. If you want to get out on the water, SWOSU maintains a fleet of canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards available for FREE with your student ID!
Staying with the off campus topic, visit RX-Brew sometime. Located adjacent to Neff Hall, many of my coworkers, and my roommate, testify that RX-Brew is the best place to hangout off campus. The environment is calm, the drinks are good, and it’s just generally a well rounded location for meetings and studying.
And finally if you need some peace and quiet nearby, you can find little nooks all over campus. One spot that I’ve heard mentioned multiple times is the second floor of the stafford building. The second floor has a balcony located against the large window overlooking the oval, which creates a perfect environment for chilling out and getting some work done.
Some other notable locations can include the outdoor lounge at the old science building, hammocks and volleyball courts by Neff Hall, and a hangout spot at the Merc!
Thanks, SWOSU for all the amazing places to hangout, Go Dawgs!
