DANVILLE (WSLS 10) - Averett University students have a new place to study.
The Carrington Academic Center is now open at the university's sports complex.
It's an athletic closet that has been converted into a study lounge designed to give students a quiet place to study without having to drive all the way across town to the main campus.
There are computers, a high-tech printer, and a cell phone charging station.
"We saw that students said 'hey, look. We want some place to study. We want someplace where we don't have to go back to the main campus, we want a place where we can study, research and we stay after practice or before practice'," explained associate professor Barbara Kushubar, who teaches at the sports complex.
"You don't have to worry about trying to study in the gym. If they have a basketball class going on, there's a lot of noise. Studying in the hallways, where you have constant traffic," said Averett wide receiver Terrance Owens when asked about the convenience of the academic center.
The center took about four years to complete from the time the idea was conceived as part of the university's long-range capital improvement plan.
Money from the The Alexander Berkeley Carrington, Jr., and Ruth Simpson Carrington Charitable Trust was used to pay for the work to get the center set up, but much of the work was done by staff at Averett.
Kushubar said she thanks Averett President Dr. Tiffany Franks and Athletic Director Meg Stevens for helping see the project through.
The center is open from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.