A new 24-hour media center, to be located between King and Wright halls, will be equipped with a pool table, flat screen TVs, game tables and a mini-bar and it will be available for all students at the beginning of the spring semester.The center is scheduled to open on the first day of spring classes Jan. 14, but issues with the exterior construction could delay the opening until the end of January, said Harold Leeman, associate director of the Physical Plant.

“There will be a bar area with a sink and microwave where students can set out food for a football game or some kind of group gathering and it will also have a private bathroom area,” said Craig Allen, director of Residential Services.

The center will have three round tables with seating and two flat screen TVs. One of the TVs will be by the pool table and the other will be in a corner surrounded by comfortable seating, a DVD player and cable access, Allen said.

“We don’t want to overcrowd it with furniture until we see how students use it, which is what we did in the technology center,” Allen said. “We’ll probably come back in and add furniture.”

The technology center, located between Carter and Samuelson halls, opened Oct. 9 and was designed as a study space for individuals and groups, said Rachel Siron, hall director for Carter and Samuelson halls.

“It has one area in the center with tables and chairs and white board erase dividers,” Siron said. “Then we have another area with a wide screen TV where students can watch a DVD, which many students have been using it on a very regular basis.”

The centers will also be available for school or club meetings and even social gatherings, but only on a first-come, first-serve basis, Siron said.

“The RAs have held different movie-watching gatherings or just have people getting together and having popcorn and sitting around and chatting. There haven’t been any official events, but if people wanted to they could have their meetings there,” Siron said.

Both centers will be open 24 hours and accessible to all students with their ID cards, Allen said.