By Siena Giljum (’22)

The morning after the 2016 presidential election, the Boston University Sociology Department hosted a student-faculty forum for discussion. Undergraduates, grad students, and faculty alike gathered, grabbed a slice of pizza, and connected with each other over national politics and their shared field of study.

The only problem was the location.

At the time, the sociology department, located at 96 Cummington Mall, had an outdated gathering space not many people wanted to be in during their free time. But it was the only central and open spot for everyone to congregate.

A study space of their own

Those post-election discussions were just one of the many events that made the department so special to its undergraduates. Because of that, Max Robidoux (CAS’17) felt so strongly about his education in sociology that he wanted to personally help bring their facilities up to date.

“One of the most pressing concerns I had as a sociology major was the quality of the facilities. I had such a great experience in all of my classes, the faculty were top notch, the curriculum was really, really great,” Max says. “It was frustrating to me that such an amazing department didn’t have facilities for its students and its faculty that matched the quality of the education they were providing.”

Max, with the support of his family’s grant-giving foundation, decided to donate funds for a renovation of the sociology lounge. He was inspired not only by his experience in the department but by the Think Tank in the main CAS building (which debuted in 2018). “When the Think Tank opened, it was very unique, very special, very exciting, and something I really wish I’d had,” Max says. “So I thought it would be amazing if I could bring a little piece of that to Cummington.”

After he and his family decided to make the contribution to the University, Max, who is currently a law student at Boston University, got to work expressing his initial vision to the sociology department. That included both what the space would physically look like as well as what it would symbolically represent. His intended vision for the lounge was a space for gathering, collaboration, and study within the relatively small department.

Hannah Walters, the senior programs coordinator for the department, feels strongly about what the lounge can offer their community. “It’s nice because it serves a very similar function it did before,” Walters said. “It’s allowed us to do what we were already doing but with greater grace, and it’s just a really pleasant space now.”

An educational extension

Campus is a large, vibrant place, so sometimes smaller departments can get lost in the shuffle and not have a concrete place to land. Max’s donation helps alleviate that for sociology. The new facilities contain an open environment with work tables and chairs—and lots of natural light—as well as some team rooms for quieter work. It’s a place for larger groups to hold classroom events or for groups to convene, while also being a place student can study for hours.

The creation of the space has also promoted more small collaborations and one-on-one tutoring. “We’re a small program, and students know the faculty, and most of our classes are right here as well,” Professor Deborah Carr, the chair of the department, says. “It’s also nice, if there’s a spillover conversation with people leaving class, they can spend their time there. Students can work together, they can get their laptops out, they can plug in, they can draft their ideas.” It doesn’t just start conversations but offers them a place to continue and flourish.

Because of Max’s gift, now the sociology department has more than just a place for groups to gather, students to study, and faculty and students to connect over class-work and research; they have a place to talk about politics and global events and to hold events that begin these thought-provoking conversations. The department has a true place to call its own.

Siena Giljum studies journalism in the College of Communication (’22) with a Spanish minor in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is from Southern California and hopes to one day write for The Atlantic. She loves podcasts and avocados, in no particular order.

(Photos: Melissa Savignano)