If you're looking for a place to dorm at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg, then Luzerne Hall might just be the place for you. Located right in the center of the campus, Luzerne Hall has everything you will need for a comfortable stay. Despite the wear and tear the outside of the building might pose, there lies a warm and welcoming community right inside.
Entering Luzerne's lobby comes with an overwhelming reminiscent smell and feel of that of a typical hotel. All of this familiarity walking in persits when hearing a warm hello slightly echoing from the desk in the corner of the room. Looking to see who has greeted you, you might find one of the residential assistants that resides here, Aidan. With him having a clean hair cut, big glasses, and a constant smile, he always brims with a young and energetic attitude.
Although he seems to be simply lounging around, there proves to be a lot of dedication put into his work to make sure this residency doesn't end in flames. "There's a lot that goes with it but basic things are desk shifts, hosting programs every semester, we have to do a total of four every semester spaced out, and there’s one on ones. There’s also RA duties like helping someone who’s locked out of their room, or emergency things like 'hey stop fighting with your roommates' and oh my god fire alarm at one AM!" Aiden enthusiastically explains. His effort with his work though doesn't go unnoticed especially how lively the atmosphere feels here. The large wooden desk he remains stationed at always comes with the utmost cleanliness, so much so that it seems possible to see your own reflection on the thick granite surface. A slightly wrinkled and well crafted postarboard, that seems tapped to the desk, serves as a welcome sign in golden and maroon lettering, "WELCOME to LUZERNE-Your home away from home-” It appears that the lobby does its job at being a friendly environment as this acts as a hotspot for residents to hang out and to make plans with one another.
"You ready to hit up on that food over at the Scranton Comms?" asked one of the residents here to his friend. He looks to be dressed in all types of sweat wear, primarily including the merchandise of the campus's mascot, a cute husky.
"You know I am!" the friend atheistically responded. He matches quite similar in style to him as almost if they shared the same wardrobe. "I've barely eaten all day and it feels like I haven't eaten out anywhere since... forever!" he responds again as the two of them quickly make their way through the double glass doors.
A loud clammer of footsteps followed by some mummers slowly start to fill a part of the room as a wooden steel door flies open as the residents from the upper floors attempt to flood out of the stairwell. They all scatter out in the lobby and attempt to dart straight towards the entrance while trying to lug their giant bookbags with them. The upper floors of the building reside the majority of the resident's dorm rooms. Entering through the door designated to the stairwell leads to a sudden and noticeable change in the atmosphere. The once colorful and bright vibes that the lobby brought now get replaced by a very dull and plain environment. Those eye sore bricks that make up the outside of the building make their return as they fill the stairwell with a coat of white on it. The little grooves and dents that implement itself on the wall give off a sense of trypophobia after having to endure its environment for so many years. The dim lighting of the room makes it barely visible enough to see bits of repainting the walls have been through. The jet black railings don't get any better as it becomes quite easy to see the paint has been cracked and chipped all over it. Touching the railing gives anyone a slight shiver down their spine with how cold it feels and even just being in the stairwell to an extent. The steps though have definitely been through the worse as the cracks consume every step where a navy gray coat once laid. You can even see the bare bone concrete that makes up the foundation of the steps. The best way to describe the entirety of the stairwell feels as if it came straight out of an eerie hospital.
Once again a door flies open from the second floor as a girl in formal attire with keys in her hand seems to be in a hurry, stammering out a polite apology as she attempts to move through. She manages to cram past you quickly pacing her speed with every step she takes. Moving out of her way and through the door puts you near the study lounge. The entrance to it comes with large clear windows that almost take up what would be a whole wall. The floor now envelops a carpet with a sporadic bale pattern design to it. It almost looks similar to the ridgeness the bark of a tree has with the colors ranging in shades of darkness. The ceiling has a dull foam tile look to it and every so often, a tile looms over completely basked in light. The outside of the study lounge gives off the environment of an office work space, which does quite fit considering the lounge's purpose. The inside of it comes with comfortable chairs, ranging with all the colors of the rainbow, that manages to be jam packed in every spot possible. Every chair or two comes with a refined table that fits a whole lot of space for materials. Oftentimes it can become a bit crowded with the residents trying to hunt for a nice spot. The race to secure a spot at one of these tables on some days becomes a competition of sorts among the residents here almost like dogs fighting over scraps of food. Residents often used this space to try to cram their assignments and studying at the last minute in a quiet and peaceful way. The people here range from looking like they had themselves prepared weeks ahead of time to study in their spot or like they had forgotten to do an assignment due in the next hour. They all though have their laptops out next to their giant notebooks that's used for note-taking. They'll stare at their laptop for a few moments and then quickly glance down to jot some information down. A process like this can be done by some of these people for an ungodly amount of time, with them ending up with some symptoms of computer eye strain. The study lounge comes across as a beloved and treasured part of Luzerne Hall by all the residents here. As RA Aiden puts it "Honestly, I like the fact that there are so many open spaces like all the lounges. We have the first floor lounge… two lounges on every single floor! It feels more 'homey' so I think that's what I like about it (Luzerne Hall), the fact that there's a lot of common space."
As the day gets later in the evening, more and more tired residents will manage to finish their studies. They will start to slowly trickle out of the lounge and spread out throughout the building. With the sound of several creaking doors, you'll notice that there seems to be several more of those wooden steel doors surrounding the hallway. The vicinity here becomes occupied by the boy's co-ed side of the second floor. Something that immediately pops out to the eyes comes in the form of the theming centered around music. The halls noticeably become completely decorated from top to bottom with black paper cut outs of musical elements like treble clefs, quarter notes, and eighth notes. "Me and RA Rob had a conversation during the summer and since becoming an RA, I've kept a google doc that I've had different themes on. We wanted to start off something that's neutral in a way that is not too focused since we didn't know you guys well. We wanted to choose something that everyone can get behind," RA Aiden eagerly explains. All of the doors come with that theming of music too with them all including a little frame with the name of the residents who occupy the room. Their names come decorated with a variety of little instrument cutouts like trumpets, pianos, and guitars, and the background of the frame rules in colors of maroon and gold designed in a specific checkerboard layout. The halls here can become filled with murmurs that seem to envelope the entire building when passing by each door. You'll sometimes hear pieces of a popular show streaming or rap and pop music fade in and out with its beats. It can be quite a coincidence how much music you'll hear from each room for the hall being music themed. The halls also entail some pretty distinct smells that fuel the air. Some smells can be pleasant here like the distinctness of expensive cologne, and other smells that can be more odor like from god knows what. No matter what type of smell or sounds that surround here, the residents always have each other's back, especially with their roommates.
Luzerne Hall stands as an important building for the history of housing here at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg and for all of the residents currently living here. Although this building may have seen better days, the community proves itself more than welcoming to all everyone else alike. Despite a lot of people being far from their actual homes, the lively and energetic atmosphere here truly makes sure every resident feels like they really feel at home.
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