Kessel Student Center

Kessel Student Center

What is the Kessel Student Center?

The Kessel Student Center is in the middle of the campus here at Pace University, so I thought it would be a good area to observe. This area hosts multiple events and has hundreds of people coming in and out every day of the week, and even more when there are events such as job fairs. It is one of the largest social spaces on campus because it consists of the dining hall, the Multipurpose Room, the bookstore and the Goatsman event room. The Kessel Student Center is, or more formally known as the Jeanette & Morris Kessel Student Center, is located in the middle of campus across from the dorms. On the inside, it is located on the second floor past the Dean’s office and just before the stairs that lead down to the cafeteria. Whether you want to study, eat, hang out or go to an event, The Kessel Student Kessel is the place to be with its different purposes and activities. Inside, there is the piano, a pool table, multiple tables and chairs, and two televisions. The purpose of this blog is to see what activities are most popular during different times of the day. I expect that the morning will be the quietest with the least activity and that the evening will be the most active. The Kessel Student Center is interesting to me because it is a place to gather for everyone including faculty and staff, and it is the most active place on the campus throughout the day.

The Morning

For my first observation, I decided to go in the morning around 9:00 am to 9:30 am when most people are usually in class, so there were not many people in the Student Center at his time. I placed myself at the high table, that sits in the middle of the room, where I would usually sit if I were eating and minding my own business. I had a clear view of the entire area which includes the lounge area, the piano, the pool table, and the various tables and chairs. During this time, there were about four people all spread out throughout the area.

The first person I observed was a young woman around the age of nineteen who looked to be doing her homework in the chairs by the vending machine. She had her headphones on and her computer and textbooks out. She seemed to be very focused on what she was doing based on her body language. She was concentrated on taking notes and only her notes; she was not slouched over, she did not have her head resting on her hand as if she was bored nor did she occasionally checking her phone.

The next person I observed was a man, who looked to be in his early twenties, sitting next to the pool table. He also had his textbook out taking notes while listening to either music or perhaps a podcast with his headphones, and eating breakfast. He seemed to be focused but also a little tired because he was taking notes while slouched over with a sort of frown like he did not want to be studying at that time.

The next observation was of two people, a man and a woman who looked to be in their early twenties, who were eating breakfast together and talking softly in the lounge area by the window. I could not make up their conversation but it seemed to be very easy going; neither raised their voices or seemed upset in any way, perhaps it was about their daily lives.

From what I observed, it seems like the morning is not the most lively time of day in the Kessel Student Center because it is when most people are already in class. However, the people who do spend their time there seem to be working on their homework and/or eating breakfast. The morning is a time where it is quiet and it is generally a time and place to study.

The Afternoon

My second observation of the Kessel Student Center was from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm during the common hour which is another busy time of the day. As I sat at the high table and observed, I noticed that a lot of people were eating, either by themselves or with other people.

The first person I observed was a young man who looked to be a lower classman sitting at one of the tables in the lounge area by the window. He was eating lunch and watching youtube on his phone. I wondered what he was watching because I do this as well, so I went in for a closer look. As I passed by, I saw that he was watching the gameplay of Fortnite - a very popular video game.

    My next observation was of two people sitting by the pool table against the window. Judging by their scrubs, they looked to be two nursing students, both eating salads, talking about a lab they had just completed and how difficult it was.

    There were many people eating lunch during the common hour and I noticed that if people are eating alone, they have their phone out either texting or watching something. Whereas if people are eating together, they are having a conversation with limited phone use and enjoying each other's company. There was nobody playing pool or playing the piano at this time - I presume because it is only a short break and most people are not yet done with class - so they were probably studying in a quieter environment. Through my observations, this seems to be the time and place where people can take a breath and socialize in between classes before finishing the day.

The Evening

In my third observation of the Kessel Student Center, I visited around 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm which is one of the busiest times of the day because everyone comes to eat dinner. In my observation, I noticed several people doing different activities. The first group of people I observed was three guys playing a game of pool. They looked to be upperclassmen dressed in casual clothing. They seemed to be having a good time because they were laughing and having a conversation. At one point, they were talking about how Johnny Manziel, or “Johnny Football” who plays pro football for the Cleveland Browns, wants to be known as “John” these days and how it doesn’t sound right.

    Another person I observed was a man playing the piano. He began playing around 6:15 pm and that is when I noticed that he was there. He was playing Not About Angels by Birdy, a song that has a lot of emotion to it. He seemed to be playing as if he was expressing how he felt because his face and body language showed such emotion. When he finished the song, he got up, covered the keys with the cover and left by himself.

The next group I observed were the Alumni RA’s sitting in the chairs that form a circle next to the office with the glass wall. It looked like they were having some sort of meeting about RA things such as the Alumni events in the lounges or the Alumni classroom because I heard them say, “I think it would be a fun activity for people who don’t have anything going on that night”. There were six of them there including my own RA, and they looked to be writing down ideas for events to host.

The activities that seem to be most popular during the evening are the more social activities: pool, group meetings, piano. Since most people are out of class at this time, it is where people can socialize and let off the daily stressors of school.

What to Take Away From This

My expectations were correct in that the mornings would be the quieter time of the day and that the evening would be the most active. Next time when I do field research, I want to keep track of not only the activities themselves but to observe the type of people who are doing the activities; do they look like athletes who usually the most social people, or those who may not seem like the social type. Why do people hang out here rather than somewhere else such as Alumni or Elm lounges which have television, ping pong, and foosball, or why do the people who study there in the morning go to the library? I also noticed that there were a decent amount of groups that hang around here, so I wonder if other campuses have different groups who have a certain “hang out” spot that they always go to.

Based on my observations it is apparent that there are certain activities that are more popular during different times of the day. The mornings are quiet which makes it a good place to study and get some work done. The early afternoon is the place and time to take a short break and get some food so you can continue to tackle the day. The evening is the most active because most people are out of class and are able to relieve themselves from the daily stressors of school by having fun with others and winding down before they end the day.