Thomas Commons lobby alive with students

As the sun rises to meet the top of the hill in Mount Vernon, you can expect to find students already making their way to the cornerstone of Cornell College: the Thomas Commons. Just before classes begin for the day, students find themselves in the Commons for a quick breakfast at the Hilltop Café or at Zamora’s, or already hard at work as they pull out their books and papers to begin another day of scholarship. Like many others, I can’t imagine starting the day until I’ve grabbed a coffee from Zamora’s.

The low murmur of the morning turns into the afternoon. As classes release and the lunch hour begins, students start swarming the Commons in droves. When a line begins to form for lunch, many hungry students and locals alike wait for the doors of the Hilltop Café to open,  and then everyone flocks to the main part of the lobby. Here, there are numerous couches, armchairs, and even a few booths that quickly become occupied with those patiently waiting for the line to dwindle down. I, and countless others, gather with friends already having plenty to talk about, and the Commons fills with chatter. The roar of the Commons is palpable, alive with a college community coming together.

After a couple of hours of lunch, many begin to file away. Some will go back to their classes. Others might go to their dorm rooms. But a few may stick around, enjoying the way the Commons seems to settle down after its liveliest point of the day.

While the Commons bursts to life every few hours throughout the day, it never quite empties completely. As the sun begins to shed its mural of colors into the expansive windows of the Commons, many students, including me, can be found once more in the lobby.

Backpacks are strewn across the carpeted floor. The quiet taps of fingers over laptop keyboards fill the occasional silence. A group may find themselves in quiet tandem as they review their notes. A few might be awaiting the arrival of others to go out of town on a weekend night. Others—especially during pledging season—await excitedly in groups to meet members of the fraternities and sororities they want to join.

I frequently find myself enjoying the productive atmosphere. It is never quite silent with so many people there, but it always feels right to sit with others. 

There’s a spot every student might find to their liking; it could be at one end of the lobby next to the fireplace, tucked comfortably away from the rest of the world; it could be closer to the stairs to watch others they know pass by; it could even be at the Information Desk where so many often go when they see someone they know working behind the desk. Even just saying “hi” to a friend behind the desk makes me feel happy to have stepped into the building.

The consistent thrum of activity keeps everyone awake as the night carries on. You may even wonder how such a lively building can create such a calming space. It could be the comfortable chairs, or it could be the friends you see everyday in such a familiar place. Sometimes, it might not sound calming at all.

Whether we’re waiting for others, studying in the steady atmosphere of activity, or simply find ourselves in one of the plush chairs, the Commons remains alive; a shared space everyone finds themselves in at some point during the day.

Ken Roden ’24 is majoring in English: Creative Writing and works in the Dungy Writing Studio, the Berry Career Institute, and in Cole Library. He’s from Oklahoma and wants to work in a library and write books.

This story is part of a series on six student gathering spots, Hangouts through the years.