Every new year brings new changes, and this is especially true at Loomis, where renovations and remodels happen every summer. This year, the Office of Student Life (AKA The Deans’ Office) migrated to the second floor of Scanlan, also known as the Lyons Den—likely stirring confusion for returning students. Additionally, the offices of Student Activities and International Student Support underwent major construction over the summer.

Dean of Students Elliott Dial explained that the primary intention of this change was to “have the Deans Office in the heart of campus.” The Lyons Den was first revamped with the purpose of serving as a student area on campus, furnished with cozy couches and spaces for students to relax and socialize. However, as the deans began to reevaluate the functionality of the Lyons Den, they realized this space hadn’t maximized its benefit to the community.

“The Lyons Den wasn’t utilized as much as we had hoped, so it was reconstructed into the Office of Student Life so Scanlan could become a center of Loomis for students,” Mr. Christopher Howes, Dean of Community Life, shared.

Giving a quick overview of the history behind the Lyons Den, Dean Dial recalled that the area was originally constructed as a living space and eventually evolved into a storage unit for Loomis. The area was then converted into its previously better-known version. With the pandemic, however, the administration’s intention for students to utilize the room to hang out was disrupted, thus leading to its new remodel and reconstruction over the summer.

Adding more insight to the change, Mr. Howes spoke on the earliest design of the Office of Student Life. “The Deans Office was originally split into a Day Deans Office and a Boarding Deans Office within [Chaffee Hall]…the combination of offices leading into the Office of Student Life [switched] locations on numerous occasions,” he shared.

Though the design seen today in the Lyons Den was chosen instead, Howes’s comment highlights how well thought-out this decision was by the Loomis administration, allowing for better integration of the Office of Student Life Office at the heart of The Island. Such changes resonate with the ongoing mission of Loomis Chaffee to foster a sense of belonging.