Students enjoy the amenities at SIU’s new England Student Center Lounge. Photos by Cyrian Mills
April 23, 2026
SIU’s new England Student Center Lounge is for the students, by the students
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Imagine having a designated home away from home at college – a spot to gather with friends, work on projects, fix a bite to eat, play games, access needed equipment and so much more. That place is now a reality at Southern Illinois University Carbondale thanks to a group of dedicated students, the generosity of a pair of donors and campus support.
The ribbon cutting and dedication for the new England Student Center Lounge, located on the fourth floor of the Student Center, is at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 30 and an open house will continue until 1 p.m. The public and campus community are invited.
Undergraduate Student Government and several of its leaders led the effort to create the new student space using concepts from SIU’s interior design students and funding from SIU alumni and successful entrepreneurs Bob and Pat England, who will attend the event.
“This is truly a student-led, student-designed and student-focused effort to establish a space – a place created especially to address the needs of Salukis,” said Kent Epplin, Student Center director. “This is a multi-purpose space to meet multiple needs.”
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the ribbon cutting and dedication of the new England Student Center Lounge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 30. The new facility is located on the fourth floor of the Student Center. Remarks are slated for 11:45 a.m. For more information, contact Kent Epplin, Student Center director, at kepplin@siu.edu or 618-453-3755.
Addressing student requests
Penny Bordewick, of Bloomington, Illinois, was the USG president during the 2024-25 school year when the project launched and she helped create the original concept. The senior political science major with minors in American Sign Language, history and preprofessional writing is currently serving as a Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Gene Gallahan Intern in Springfield and credits Dylan Chambers, then USG vice president of Student Affairs, with first showing her the vacant fourth floor Student Center space.
“As soon as we started walking around, I began to see the vision,” Bordewick said. “It had so much potential to be something great, a space that could be just for the students, created by the students.”
She began brainstorming, printed out floor plans, grabbed her highlighters and started working on the concept for what a student lounge could be, one that addressed a long wish list of student needs and desires and also honored the history of WIDB, the student radio station which aired from the spot for many years..
Facing skepticism about the project’s viability and funding, she and her team kept plugging along because the students truly wanted the lounge and all involved knew its significance to Salukis. They assessed the needs and desires of students and met with staff to formulate goals, then went about making it all happen. They decided it was important for the new lounge to include a:
- Centralized location for students from East and West Campus and all over to meet to socialize, study or work on projects.
- Livestreaming of Saluki athletic events – on a 98” television, no less – for students to cheer on the Dawgs.
- Amenities for visitors to relax, have fun, and even play air hockey or other games between classes.
- Respite room, with comfy beanbag furniture for relaxing.
- Conference room.
- Podcast spot.
- Practice and performance areas for music, drama and more.
- Community kitchenette.
- Workout equipment, including a treadmill.
- Mother’s Room for use as a lactation space or by families with young children.
As Bordewick’s term neared its end, she was thrilled to learn that incoming USG candidates were also enthused about the project. She passed the torch to the new USG president, Lydia Phelps, who was excited to continue the work, bringing the concept to reality and helping secure funding.
“I kept the process moving forward because this project was directly rooted in student voices,” said Phelps, a senior agribusiness economics major with political science minor from Marion, Illinois. “Through polling, open forums and ongoing conversations within Undergraduate Student Government, it was clear the students felt the real absence of a meaningful “third space” on campus – a place where they can gather, collaborate and recharge outside of the classroom or home. I felt a responsibility to not just advocate for it, but to see it through.”
Phelps said even as USG leadership has changed in recent years, all involved have worked together to honor the wishes of the students.
“The England Student Center Lounge offers a welcoming, inclusive environment that supports not only studying, but also connection, creativity and well-being,” Phelps said. “Because students were involved in every stage – from initial concept to design input – it reflects how they actually use space and what they require to feel a sense of belonging. Ultimately, it strengthens the campus community at SIU by giving students a place to build relationships, engage with one another, and feel more connected to their university experience.”
Alex Baughman, a senior secondary history education major from Carbondale, Illinois, with a minor in coaching, has been involved as well since the early days of the project. He served as campaign manager for Bordewick and Phelps as well as a USG senator during Bordewick’s term and chief of staff for Phelps and he’s a strong proponent of the project.
“For students of the future, this is going to serve as a phenomenal ‘third space’ on campus – a place that students can call their own that isn’t their residence halls or classrooms,” Baughman said. “I believe it will foster community, friendships and connection on campus between students and help get students out of their dorms. I think it will also booster Student Center foot traffic, which in turn will be a boost to the England Student Center Lounge and our marketability to prospective students. Working on this project has been an honor – something I’ll always consider to be one of the most important things I did while I was in college.”
Designed to specs
Ensuring that the lounge was truly created for students by students, help from SIU School of Architecture interior design students under the direction of Jennifer Matthews, instructor, was sought.
“We gave our space needs, desire to honor WIDB’s history and other criteria to a class of eight brilliant individuals who worked in pairs to completely design and imagine what the space could look like,” Bordewick said. “They gave us everything from paint colors to furniture to carpet to wayfinding to decorations. It was incredible and I credit them for being the ones to really bring the space to life. They executed the vision “‘for the students, by the students.’”
Senior interior design students who created design proposals for the lounge during their design complexity project class included Loralei Biegler, Jenna Rose Klein, Kyleigh Petersen, Nina Phillips, Paige Ruppert, Simone Elliott, Ruby Varns and Olivia Wolff.
The final step
With the plans in place, there was just one huge hurdle to jump – securing funding. That’s where Brian Flath, director of development for student affairs, and the SIU Foundation stepped in. The project had a $250,000 budget – not small change for a student initiative.
More than 50 years after meeting as students at SIU, Bob and Pat England gifted their alma mater $250,000 to establish and maintain the England Student Center Lounge. Bob England came to SIU on a football scholarship in the 1960s from his hometown of Decatur, Illinois, studying in the industrial technology program. He first worked in the steel industry after his 1969 graduation and later became an entrepreneur. He met fellow student Pat, a Carmi, Illinois, native, by chance and they’ve now been married 57 years. They went on to create their own business, which became N-Line Traffic Maintenance, specializing in roadway striping and traffic safety and eventually employing more than 500 people throughout Texas. After selling the enterprise, they settled in Jupiter, Florida, but their memories of SIU – including gathering with students in the Student Center to watch “Dark Shadows” on television - and loyalty to it never faded. Pat also worked for several years in the Texas A & M University student affairs department, seeing first-hand how significant vital student environments are for connecting, collaborating and succeeding so they thought it quite fitting to fund this project.
Baughman joined Bordewick and Phelps in expressing appreciation to the Englands, Epplin, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Auxiliary Enterprises and Student Affairs Tena Bennett, Flath, Chancellor Austin Lane and Abby Tate, USG vice president of Student Affairs, as well as to the foundation and everyone else involved for all they’ve done to bring the lounge to reality.