The "Utmost" Commons

“The Harlow Lounge Project has added great value to the residence experience by providing a high-quality community space right next to the residence halls. This project turned a mostly overlooked and underutilized area and made it the preferred hangout space!”

Investing in our students is important to the Emmaus Experience. Happening in and outside the classroom, these experiences are significantly enhanced through shared spaces. One of our goals was to significantly improve one of our first impressions and student spaces by reconstructing and renovating the Harlow Second Floor Student Lounge. For our new students, this is the first real picture of campus during move in.

The students themselves have affectionately “named” the lounge space the Utmost Commons, as it is located directly above the Upper Commons. 

When it opened in Fall 2022, the lounge immediately became a hub, especially for first year students. Since then, the space has been well-used for floor chapels, board games, Bible studies, and more. It is a popular area to do homework because of the comfortable furniture and air conditioning. Evenings see it morph into a loud hangout spot to relax; it's rare to see this space empty at night.