With a campus now active with students back from summer vacation, the University of Windsor is proud to unveil the new Graduate Student Society Study Commons in Leddy Library.
The library cut the ribbon on the new study space on Tuesday, after the Graduate Student Society donated $1.2-million to help create the space on the library's first floor.
"Libraries are unusual institutions," said University Librarian and Dean Selinda Berg. "We are simultaneously places, collections, services, technologies, expertise, and communities. Some of what we do is highly visible, but a great deal of what we do happens partly in the background. So, for the Graduate Student Society to recognize the best in the library is deeply meaningful to us."
The doors leading into the commons and the walls inside feature artwork created by Indigenous artist and fourth-year student at the School of Creative Arts, Krystal Bigsky.
"The representation allows Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and faculty to have a sense of belonging and understanding, a space where we can learn together," said Bigsky. "I was asked to create something to symbolize something from this territory that is sacred to the Indigenous people here, and I chose the strawberry and its flower. It signifies the heart and the connection to Earth."
"Over the years, Leddy has supported generations of academics, professionals, and the greater campus community," added Graduate Student Society President Dora Stolkova. "Like any well-loved space, it was time for a glow-up."
The project took three years to complete, and as many as 5,000 people come through the library on a daily basis.
Currently, the Graduate Student Society is also in talks with the Faculty of Engineering and the Odette School of Business about creating new student lounges in their buildings.
