New student building is centerpiece at Trinity

With their laptops open, and steaming cups of coffee close by, Trinity International University students who cozied up to the fireplace in the new campus building say the facility is fabulous.

Named in honor of one of Trinity's past presidents, the Gregory L. Waybright Student Life Center officially opened Wednesday. The nearly $17 million facility is one of the biggest projects in decades at the Deerfield school.

The third building constructed under the master plan, the student center features a full cafeteria and snack shop with seating for 370 people. Students can also settle into any of the more than 100 chairs to study, or take a snooze.

"This is more than just a new dining hall, this is the symbolic center of campus," said Trinity spokesman Gary Cantwell. "The building is strategically placed between the graduate and undergraduate sides of campus. It's a great place for both sides to gather. Community is one of our core values."

The new dining hall replaces the previous cafeteria that dated back to the 1960s, Cantwell said. Natural light floods the facility from large windows and skylights. A circular room with a 30-foot ceiling called the "Lantern Lounge" offers students a quiet place to study.

"The students have been overwhelmed by the experience," Cantwell said.

Construction for a second phase of the center is also under way. Once completed, it will have meeting rooms and offices for student services, Cantwell said.

Sensitive to students' schedules, the cafeteria and snack shop are open from 7 a.m. until midnight. The building also features wireless computer access.

Trinity is an Evangelical Christian school. It has campuses in Florida and California, but most of the nearly 3,000 students are in Deerfield. The school is located just off Interstate 94 and Route 22.

It's great for the kids, but Cantwell said the center can help in recruiting new students.

"This will be good for admissions," Cantwell said. "I love watching the reactions on the faces of people when they walk in for the first time."

Student Todd Whelan of Milwaukee said he'll be a regular at the Waybright Center.

"It's a great place to hang out and study," he said. "I'll be in here a lot."