For Howard University students looking for a place to spend time with friends between classes, some students say the options can feel limited. As Howard renovates the bowling area in the Armour J. Blackburn University Center, some students say they hope the project will address a larger gap in campus life: the need for indoor spaces designed for students to gather and build community.
Carlisha Outlaw, a sophomore political science major from Hamden, Connecticut said the spaces currently available on campus fall short of what she considers a true campus center.
“We do not have any student centers at Howard,” Outlaw said. “The libraries are primarily used for studying and the non-cafeteria part of Blackburn doesn’t have enough seating to be considered a true student center.”
Outlaw said she typically socializes in her dorm room, her friends’ rooms or occasionally a residence hall lounge. She primarily visits Blackburn to eat or pick up food.
“We need an actual student center that accommodates our student body size and true socialization activities,” she said.
Aries Djangmah-Yeboah, a junior honors political science major from East Hartford, Connecticut, said finding somewhere to spend time between classes has become increasingly difficult.
Blackburn is home to several dining options, including the Blackburn Café, Chick-fil-A and the Punchut food court, which is currently undergoing renovations. The building also features the Hilltop Lounge, Gallery Lounge, Reading Lounge, Blackburn Ballroom, Digital Auditorium and several meeting rooms used for university events and student activities.
While some of these places offer places for students to gather, some are also used for scheduled events, which limits their availability for casual socializing. Outdoor seating provides an additional option, but its use depends on weather conditions.
“I always kind of laugh when people say that Blackburn is a student center because, to me, Blackburn is a university center,” she said. “I don’t see in any way, shape or form how it could actually serve as a student center for students to actually be in.”
Djangmah-Yeboah said the limited number of gathering spaces can be felt across the campus, Blackburn to the university’s libraries. With few places to comfortably sit, socialize or relax between classes, students are often left competing for the same spaces, making it difficult to find somewhere to wind down after a long day of school, she said.
Living in the Howard Plaza Towers East, Djangmah-Yeboah said returning to the dorm between classes is not always practical because of the distance and the inconvenience of walking back and forth across campus, particularly uphill near the School of Social Work. Instead, she often stays on campus until her day ends.
“It’s been getting harder and harder to find spaces to sit and do homework, relax and just get any other things that I need to get done,” she said.
According to the Blackburn Center director, Jomah Watson, Ed.D, the university’s objective is to have the bowling center operational and accessible to students during the spring 2027 semester. Watson said the renovated bowling center is intended to address students’ desire for additional recreational and social space.
“The primary purpose of the renovation was to modernize the facility and expand the range of recreational opportunities available to Howard University students and the broader campus community,” Watson said in a statement to The Hilltop.
Watson said student feedback highlighted the need for more recreational and social spaces on campus and reinforced the university’s investment in the facility.
He envisions it “as a welcoming and safe environment where students can relax, connect with one another, network and cultivate community.”
The renovated facility will revive a portion of Blackburn that has been inaccessible to students since at least 2017, while introducing a new lighting system capable of changing the appearance of the bowling lanes and surrounding communal areas.
Ventola Projects, a United Kingdom-based lighting company involved in the renovation, has completed its portion of the installation, according to its managing director, Mick Ventola.
Ventola Projects has completed its portion of the installation, Ventola confirmed in an interview with The Hilltop.
However, the lighting installation is only one component of the unfinished facility.
Watson said remaining work includes required fire alarm inspections and testing, installation of monitor screens for the bowling lanes and completion of the bowling center’s software installation, configuration and staff training.
For students, however, how the space will serve them may be just as important as the question surrounding its opening.
Outlaw said students need spaces that encourage activities beyond studying. She pointed to pool tables, table tennis, televisions and public lounges that remain open later into the night as examples of what students can use. She also suggested incorporating practical resources, such as a computer lab.
Djangmah-Yeboah said she heard about the Blackburn renovations, but little on the project expanding everyday seating and gathering space.
With the university targeting the spring semester for the facility’s opening, Djangmah-Yeboah remains cautiously hopeful.
“I have about 30% faith,” she said. “I really do hope that they follow through on that timeline.”
Copy edited by Sydney Middleton
