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The cutting of a ceremonial ribbon by the current and former presidents of the Associated Students at Pasadena City College marked the opening of a new student lounge in PCC’s CC building. The lounge offers students: air conditioning, wifi, and brand new furniture to work or relax in. 

After the COVID pandemic had ended during the 2021-22 school year, students started to return to campus, and with it, a need for student spaces was returned.  When PCC reopened, the downstairs area of the CC building overlooking the quad was PCC’s  Welcome Center, which was infrequently  used and filled with old furniture. 

The Associated Students (ASPCC) organization jumped on the  opportunity to utilize the space and began a push to transform it into an area for students. 

“The library is a quiet space and the cafeteria is very loud, so we wanted to create an in-between where students could study and still talk with each other,” Carrie Afuso Student Life Advisor for PCC said. 

Emmanuel Gomez who was the former ASPCC president envisioned the welcome center could be transitioned into a multi-purpose room for club meetings, training, and of course as a student lounge. 

The important component to reaching these goals was: furniture and funding. 

Gomez and the ASPCC worked together directly with Assistant Superintendent/Vice President Candace Jones to secure funding for the project. 

Jones and the Board of Trustees recognized student needs and delegated funds from the school budget/capital outlay, so that the Associated Students wouldn’t have to take from club funding. 

Once funds were secured, the ASPCC worked with the school board to get the project actualized. 

“We had furniture designers at the board meetings with us, figuring out exactly how to use the space,” Gomez said. 

Being built over summer 2023, the student lounge with the title the “Lancer Lounge,” was finished on September 8 and it was revealed to the campus community. 

Students at the opening of the lounge noted the obvious improvement in the quality of the furniture and appreciated the new atmosphere. 

“I like how the lounge isn’t completely silent, the library is too quiet to where I feel like I can’t even move or I’ll disturb someone,” engineering student David Da Na said.

The Lancer Lounge will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The lounge offers free WIFI, air conditioning and an area for students to work and relax. Students are welcome as long as they follow a few simple rules: no eating, no sleeping, and no feet on the furniture. 

“When it’s so hot outside and I come into a place with good AC I’m like ‘Yippie!’” psychology student Josh Elyon said.

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