A theater with first-run movies, eSports center, meeting/conference rooms, a food court with national, name-brand eateries and what is being touted as the largest ballroom space in Orangeburg County are all included in Claflin University’s new 80,000-square-foot student center.
Claflin University President Dr. Dwaun Warmack said he is happy that the $40 million, three-story center, which he said will serve as the gateway between the university and community, is finally opening.
A ribbon cutting is set for 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, at Magnolia Street and Goff Avenue.
“It’s amazing. It’s surreal on multiple levels. We just serve an amazing God,” Warmack said.
“When God gave me the vision four years ago to build the student center right here, 99% of the folks thought I was crazy because it was two white houses right here and a basketball court,” he said.
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The president continued, “Then no one thought the space was possible to be built right there. I walked it multiple times and God said, ‘This is where it’s going to be.’ And to now see God’s vision manifest here is amazing.”
Dr. Arthur E. Doctor Jr., dean of students at Claflin, also beamed with pride as he guided this reporter and student reporters through the building, which includes a 172-seat, handicapped-accessible movie theater that can also be used as an auditorium.
An area that includes a concession stand and a kiosk, where individuals can purchase tickets, leads into the theater.
“Everything will be cashless. Patrons will be able to get tickets not only here, but also on Fandango. Seats in the cinema are assigned. So you’ll be able to either select your seat on the app online or at our kiosk,” Doctor said.
He said movies are to begin on Friday, March 22, with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” scheduled to play.
Dr. Cletra Peters, Claflin vice president and chief of staff, said the movie schedule includes 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. showings Thursday through Sunday, with matinee times to be decided on Saturday and Sunday.
The theater would be for student and community use, with entry secured through the gymnasium parking lot off Magnolia Street.
Claflin University President Dr. Dwaun Warmack describes some of the amenities of the new student center’s 172-seat movie theater.
The university’s new bookstore and a food court area, which includes QDOBA Mexican Eats, Papa John’s and Starbucks, are also included on the first floor. It also includes an open area for students to convene together, complete with amenities such as high-top tables with plug-ins.
“We want this to be a space where students feel comfortable and at home. We think we’ve done our best very best to do that for them. What we’re really excited about is Panther’s Den, which is our convenience store which will have different options for students,” Doctor said.
The first floor also includes covered outdoor seating areas and a courtyard area that Doctor said provide amphitheater space for potential outdoor events.
He said the community will also be able to enjoy the dining options, though specific hours for the community’s use are still being finalized.
“Everything is cashless. You can tap with your phone or bring your card. We don’t want to handle any paper money,” he said.
Administrative offices and six study rooms also occupy the space, with the study rooms having a variety of different seating options.
“You have a more traditional desk, then some have bean bags. We’re wanting to be intentional about providing spaces for students to feel like this is home and they can just relax,” Doctor said.
He said students are particularly excited about the designated area, which includes parcel lockers.
“Now when you get a package sent to the mailroom and the mailroom closes, you have to wait until they open. But now you’ll get a text message, or a message from our mail center with a code to be able to type in your code. You’ll have access to your mailbox and your packages via one of the parcel lockers,” Doctor said.
He said enhanced security measures are still being worked on but will include card-access-only entrance ways.
“So only individuals or staff and faculty that are on campus will be able to scan their cards and be able to come in, which will allow us to se who’s coming in and be able to track that,” Doctor said.
“Our public safety (department) is right next door. So they’ll have a presence in the building, as well. … The card access piece is important because after certain times of the evening, we want to make sure that who is supposed to be in here is in here,” he continued.
Dr. Arthur E. Doctor Jr., dean of students at Claflin University, shows the ballroom in the new student center. The space is promoted as the l…
Conference spaces that can be used for meeting and training rooms by the community are also included throughout the center, complete with wireless connectivity and tables that provide functionality. Furniture in shades of orange and maroons to reflect the school colors are also spread throughout the facility.
“We have video conferencing and, again, everything is wireless. We want to make sure that the technology matches the needs of not only our students, but community organizations that may be wanting to use the facility,” Doctor said.
The student hub of the center is also located on the second floor.
“You have tables with rollable chairs. You can plug in your chargers, your laptops. … This area is our hub for our students to really just hang out. It’s really highlighted by our student government and our student activities board offices,” Doctor said.
The student leaders will not only have their own designated office space but a conference room “to not have to rent or reserve spaces any longer,” he said.
Doctor continued, “A screen is there, you can present wirelessly and do screen mirroring from your devices so that you don’t have to have a physical laptop or computer to be able to do that. This space will also be fob (accessible). So after hours, our student leaders will have access to their suite by being able to tap their fob or their ID.”
Doctor said the center also offers several student employment opportunities including “cinema assistants, information desk assistants and operations.”
A game room, complete with an eSports lounge, is also included in the center.
“We’re still in the process of finalizing the space, but imagine students being able to bring their game systems to our game room and be able to plug in their Xbox, their PlayStation 5 and be in here playing their games right here. We’ll have more games that will come in, but we’re just excited about this being a convening place for our students,” Doctor said.
An eSports lounge with 14 game stations awaits students.
“The room is black because we will have neon lighting. Our students will be able to not only compete against other schools, but also participate in different competitions against players from other universities and be able to win money,” Doctor said.
Claflin’s $40 million, three-story student center is opening. A ribbon cutting is set for 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, at Magnolia Street and …
He continued, “E-sports is something that’s taking off and other HBCUs have their iterations of e-sports and lounges. So we were able to go look at those and really see what they have to make our e-sports second to none.”
“There will be monitors on the wall where students and e-sports players can videocast into those. That room will allow a staff member to be able to watch and manage and supervise the space,” Doctor said walking through the e-sports lounge.
“We’ll start off as an e-sports club, and then the development phase is turning into an e-sports team that actually travels and competes against other universities,” he said.
Another outside covered, wrap-around seating area for students is also included across from the game room.
“The view is beautiful, another area for our students to gather and convene. We have different types of seating and when you talk about security, there’s so many cameras in this building, we’re able to monitor what’s going on 24-7,” Doctor said.
The third-floor space includes the ballroom that can seat more than 800 people and be divided into three sections as necessary. The community will also be able to reserve the spacious venue for special events.
“It’s the largest ballroom space in Orangeburg County,” Warmack said.
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Doctor said, “We ‘re excited because this will be where I think we’ll see a lot of our community members coming into the building and utilizing the space and engaging with Claflin. The stage can be placed in a number of different sizes based on the need.”
“There are speakers throughout the ceiling, screens, we have videoconferencing abilities here, as well,” he said, noting that everything is controlled from one wireless operations station mounted on a wall.
Dr. Leroy Durant, vice president for student development and services, said, “The other good thing about this being available is it allows students to be able to use the gym. When we have homecoming and the gala is going on down there, students are getting caught up in a place of, ‘Where do we go?’”
Durant said the center is a place not just for the community, it is a hub for students to be able to gather comfortably and with the amenities they deserve.
“This is remarkable,” he said.
Contact the writer: dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5534. Follow “Good News with Gleaton” on Twitter at @DionneTandD
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