By Mahadhir Monihuldin
What was once an office room of the Department of Communication for so many years has now been entirely transformed into a free space for IIUM students to use during their free time to mingle around. The space has made way for a lounge now known as the Kullliyyah’s (KIRKHS) One Stop Students’ Centre.
As you walk into the student centre, what you’ll first see are a few semi-circles of soft, comfy sofas for you to rest your tired bodies, each with a convenient table in the middle where you can neatly place your things.
At the side, there’s a water dispenser and a cup stand for whenever you’re thirsty and want to have a drink. Feel like reading something? Feel free to pick up a book from the book shelve near you. Or perhaps you’d like to have a thought provoking session for discussion with a group of students, just walk in. The lounge has a private discussion room intended for exactly that purpose.
You can see from my description that the One Stop Student Centre is a nice place to be in. But of course, when we’re talking about the opinion of the students, it wouldn’t mean a thing if it doesn’t come from the students themselves.
Abdullah Mekki is a student I was able to strike a conversation with while he was joyfully chatting with a friend on that soft, comfy sofa, Muhamad Asaad. Well, I saw him standing in the lounge somewhere and thought, why not get his take?
When I asked Mekki what his thoughts were on the student centre, Mekki said, “I think this is probably one of the few examples of IIUM doing something which actually benefits the students.”
And oddly enough, it wasn’t the sofas or the books or the people in the place that were most satisfying to Mekki. “As anticlimactic as it may sound, it’s just the air conditioner.” He said this before adding that the student lounge gives him and other students a place to take some much needed rest in between classes.
Asaad seems to share the same positive sentiment towards the student centre as well. He said, “It isn’t really a quiet place like the library, but I feel very comfortable being here, especially since I can eat, drink, and all that.”
Asaad appreciates that there is a prayer room in the lounge where he can easily perform his prayers. “If there’s a small gap between my classes, it really saves me some time to pray here instead of having to walk all the way to the mosque.”
You can clearly see why these two enjoyed having the student centre around. But what about the improvements they feel can be made to make it an even better place? Both of them gave the exact same answer, although it’s probably in the back of the minds of every student who has ever visited the centre: We need some board gamesover here!
“Maybe they can have a room specifically for board games so that others won’t get disturbed,” Mekki said. And Assad echoed that point saying, “It’ll be nice to have some board games to help release some stress.”
So, nothing but praises for our university’s initiative to provide students with facilities for the one stop centre.
Although it’s been shared that one specific improvement could be made to make the place look better. All in all, the one stop centre for the students is definitely a welcome move and a step in the right direction. ***