On August 15, 2023, students, staff, alumni, and faculty gathered together on the lawn of the brand-new Crimson Corner for a grand opening. Students were welcomed back to campus during the Back-to-School Bash event, the first of many events to be held at Crimson Corner.
The Crimson Corner is an area for people to hang out, enjoy games, and spend time with others, and it is located on the corner of 46th and Peniel. The Crimson Corner used to be a place where you could play various sports such as sand volleyball, pickleball, tennis, and futsal, but since the beginning of this school year, there has been all of this and so much more added for students to enjoy.
Since its grand opening, the Crimson Corner has been a special place for students to share in community with each other. The new editions include a putting green, a patio with benches and chairs, and artificial turf. The sand volleyball court got a new upgrade as well with new nets and sand, and the fire pit has more room for students to gather in fellowship.
The idea for the renewal began in the summer of 2022, when a few faculty and staff members noticed the shade in the east side of the Commons, and thought it would be a great spot for a patio. Blair Spindle, SNU’s campus pastor, sent an email to faculty members and proposed an idea to update the Crimson Corner. The staff loved the idea and got an architect to sketch up the plans.
“After we got the drawings is when we got the funding,” Spindle explained. “I’ve been involved in the whole process, and it sure is close to the original vision.” With the help of other staff like Chris Kyzer, Clay Milford, and Katy Bradley, construction was able to start within a year, with the hope of students using it in the fall of 2023.
“My favorite thing about the new Crimson Corner is just the space,” said Gage Miller, a junior pastoral ministry major at SNU. “There are now more areas to hang out and play volleyball or pickleball, and it is a nice hangout area.” Miller also thinks it brings a lot of life to campus and plans to use it as often as he can.
The Crimson Corner has already been a perfect place to host events and is a first pick for events like Food Truck Friday. Students can be sure to look forward to many more memories being made at the new Crimson Corner and hopefully more updates to SNU in the near future.
Photo by SNU Creative