The Wayne State University School of Medicine Student Senate and the Dean’s Office will celebrate the grand opening on a new student relaxation space with a reception scheduled for Oct. 17.

The new space, located in 6E of the University Health Center, is the result of a year-long collaboration between the Student Senate and the Dean’s Office.

The reception, open to students, faculty and staff, will take place from 2 to 6 p.m.

The 5,400-square-foot facility, designed by students and the administration, is solely for the use of WSU School of Medicine students. It is available to students seven days a week, around the clock.

“I want to thank the students who dedicated their time and efforts to developing this facility, which will provide much-needed study and relaxation space for our busy physicians-in-training,” said Wael Sakr, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine. “This is the type of tangible improvement that comes to fruition when our key stakeholders collaborate. It is my goal to encourage additional such partnerships.”

The new space contains 18 small-group study rooms, one large-group study room, individual study desks, a conference room, three on-call rooms for rotating medical students, lockers, a break room with refrigerators and food preparation space, a lactation room equipped with a microwave and mini-refrigerator, a relaxation/meditation/prayer room and restrooms.

In addition, the space will have WSU internet access, sofas and chairs for relaxing, prayer and meditation mats, a water filtration fountain with a water bottle refill station, and coffee and tea provided by the Student Senate.
The new facility, along with the student lounge in Room 1328 in Scott Hall opened in January, greatly expands student-only facilities on the School of Medicine campus. That space, adjacent to the cafeteria, is open to medical students only and is available seven days a week.
 

“With such a large student body, there has been a substantial need for increase in areas for student study, especially for a space that is 100% dedicated to student use and accessible to students 24/7,” said Cullen Hudson, executive president, and Jenna Carter, ex-officio executive president, of the Student Senate. “This space provides exactly that with many small-group study rooms, desks and rooms for solo studying, and multiple rooms for large-group meetings.”

Collaboration between the Student Senate and administration was paramount to the overall success of the space, Hudson and Carter said. “This allowed our representatives to highlight and address student needs into the design of the UHC 6E study space. Senators were able to survey the student body on ideal use of the space and incorporate work done previously by the Senate into conceptualizing the design of the space.”

They also said the Senate contributed time in cleaning out the space and worked with other student organizations to collaborate on a collective vision and use for some of the space.

“With the input of the student body and student leadership, we were able to include dedicated locker space, a meditation and prayer room, on-call rooms, a lactation support room and a water filtration system into the space,” Hudson and Carter said. “Finally, collaboration with the Student Senate and student organizations like Art in Medicine have provided an opportunity to beautify the space with student artwork and accomplishments. Overall, the contributions of students and administration have resulted in a new space that addresses many student needs and expands support for students.”

In addition to Hudson and Carter, students involved in the project included Mirna Kaafarani, executive vice president; Joseph Files, Class of 2024 representative; Jonah Yousif, executive secretary; Ashley Kramer, executive M.D./Ph.D. representative; Arya Gaddam, Class of 2025 vice president; Lauren Robb, executive treasurer; Koushik Tuppil, Class of 2025 representative; and Elise Turke, Learning Community representative .