The Athletics Department announced an initiative to raise money for the Barry Harsip ’73 student lounge. The new student lounge will be located in Gosman near the main entrance.
The lounge is named in memory of Harsip who was a member of the university’s men’s soccer team in the 70s Harsip was named to the Hall of Fame in 2019, according to the crowdfunding page for the lounge. According to a Brandeis alumni article, Harsip, “was kind, spirited and generous, and these qualities helped to define his life and legacy, both personally and professionally.” Harsip passed away in 2020.
“The athletic department has been thankful to partner with Barry’s wife, Lisa Harsip, and several of Barry’s friends and former teammates including John Fobia ’73, Mark Volk ’74, David Goodman ’74, Jeffrey Bender ’75 and Mark Scheier. This generous group of individuals has made a pledge large enough to cover the basic construction costs of the new student lounge, but we NEED YOUR HELP to finish the job and perfect our new space in Gosman!” according to the crowdfunding page.
The campaign goal is to raise $50 thousand, at the time of publication there was $22,378 raised for the lounge. The crowdfunding campaign lasted for 48 hours, according to the Brandeis Judges page. Individuals were encouraged to donate on May 3 and 4.
“Your gift will make an immediate impact on our student-athletes lives by outfitting our new student lounge with furniture, electronics, artwork, fixtures and more,” according to the page.
The student lounge is set to open in the 2023 academic year, according to an article from the Brandeis alumni page. Current student-athletes, according to the article, have expressed struggling with managing their academic and athletics. The hope is that the student lounge will remedy issues students have with managing their schedules, according to the article.
The space will “feature ample furniture for studying and relaxing, as well as a refueling station where students can access sports drinks, healthy snacks and more,” according to the article.
The space is intended to give, “student-athletes a place of their own to focus on their studies, unwind between practices and refuel on healthy snacks,” according to the article.
