Molly Landis ’27
News Editor
The Worcester House, located at 4A City View St., across from the townhouses, is an off-campus space that opened in the fall as space specifically for commuter students to come together, but also as a place for students to meet as clubs, use the kitchen, or book a study room. The Worcester House staff are proud to say that the space has been renovated to be fully ADA accessible. Primarily for commuters, the Worcester House offers these students the chance to use a kitchen during the day or have a space to relax in between classes and extracurricular activities. Due to space constraints, the Worcester House is mainly a commuter space, but at certain times will welcome any and all students. The goal is to be a space for community and Worcester-facing engagement and offers neighbors tickets to Holy Cross athletic events. It is a space for RSOs or student volunteer groups to come together to meet with community partners or simply have their meetings. There is a kitchen that allows students to bring their own food in to make whatever they desire. Working for Worcester has utilized the space to meet with their community partners. It is a space designed to feel like a house, with all the furniture being repurposed from other areas around campus that no longer needed it.
The Worcester House owns games such as spikeball and cornhole and will be consulting a landscaper to further improve the outdoor area. As the weather gets nicer, students will have the opportunity to use these games and decompress in a space outside of campus. The Worcester House also has study spaces available to reserve, featuring screens donated by Scholarship in Action allowing for group meetings or Zoom calls. Due to the newness of the space, and the necessity of having a staff member there while open, currently, the study spaces are only open to book on Wednesdays, but during finals season will have more openings. Sue Hunt, Director of the Office of Government and Community Relations, “credit[s] the administration for making this happen.” She says that, “with the new strategic plan Aspire, and the Worcester pillar, they were completely supportive of this kind of engagement center.”
On Sunday, the Office of Sustainability hosted a neighborhood cleanup. In order to build community, students started at the Worcester House for bagels and smoothies. Upcoming cleanups will happen from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm on March 30, April 6, and April 27. Students are encouraged to attend to further create a connection between the surrounding Worcester neighborhoods and our Holy Cross community. The Worcester House is also partnering with Professor Lindsey Caola’s Montserrat class to help identify how they can better connect Holy Cross with Worcester Public School students. Additionally, Professor Frances Maughn Brown’s Montserrat class is working to create a mural in the main room of the Worcester House. The current plan is to base it on the five senses and how students experience Worcester. The Worcester House has hosted an Open House for commuter students and a holiday door decorating competition for the townhouses, as well as partnering with SGA representatives to help plan even more events to involve both the Holy Cross and Worcester community.
Hunt and her colleague Emily Williams encourage students to visit the Ignite page for the Worcester House. Students can find a survey to submit feedback and ideas as to what they would like to see from the Worcester House. In order to be successful, they need to know what students are interested in seeing. If you are reading this and you have questions, comments, or feedback, the Worcester House wants to know! Visit their Ignite page to learn more and submit your ideas!
Featured image courtesy of College of the Holy Cross
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