On the Development of Casa, a Student Commons in the Faculty of Humanities

Journal of Kyoto Seika University (54)

131-137

ESAKA Yukiko

   This article reports on the activities carried out by students and faculty in 2019 in Casa, a student commons in the Faculty of Humanities at Kyoto Seika University.
　In 2018, volunteer students and teachers of the Faculty of Humanities worked together to create Casa, a student commons with the aim of promoting more active student participation in campus life and more opportunities for learning and exchange.   In 2019, when the location of Casa was moved to Ryūkeikan where faculty offices are located, new student staff and faculty members continued to revise and develop the program of activities
　One of the major changes brought about by the move is that the activity space was divided into two rooms, one of which serves as the Student Commons where students (Room R101) can eat and talk freely; the other serves as the Humanities Library (Room R119) where students can eat and drink but are not allowed to talk, thus securing a space where a quiet study environment can be maintained. In accordance with these changes, the student staff members were divided into two groups:  one group was mainly responsible for planning and implementing events, and the other was responsible for operating the Humanities Library.  Student staff members would be trained to provide peer support. In addition, monthly "get-togethers" and other large-scale events helped raise awareness about Casa among students and faculty on campus and led to an increase in the number of users.
The problem was that the rooms were small and there was not enough space for students to work. It was proposed to expand the space for student activities. It is also necessary to enhance the content and space of activities. In the future, we would like to aim for regional cooperation.