Built in 2022 as an addition to the Sadler Center, the “Slice” is a 53,000-square-foot addition to the College of William and Mary’s central campus center. The space is intended to provide an “open and airy” work and social gathering space for students.
Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06 commented on the renovations in a 2022 interview with W&M News.
“We know students have a remarkable educational experience at William & Mary, and now we have facilities that can really add to that,” Ambler said. “It is a dream come true in so many ways. Both of us [Ambler and Sam Sadler] just had this feeling of deep satisfaction that our students are getting a building and resources that they deserve for the most amazing student experience.”
Kimberly L. Weatherly, assistant dean and director of the Center for Student Diversity, described how the addition was informed by the suggestion of students as well.
“Student feedback was sought in selecting new furniture in common areas,” Weatherly said. “They sampled items in Sadler’s atrium and voted for their favorites via QR codes.”
In addition to being a space for study and socialization, the Slice allows departments such as the Center for Student Diversity and Student Leader Development to be directly accessible to students.
“This is prime real estate,” Weatherly said. “Students really thought we were living on the moon before.”
With students being the main focus of the space, we can now ask the question: How was the addition received, and how have students used it since its opening?
Student Unions and Engagement provided the data for this article. Marisa MacDonald ’27 works for SUE and regularly manages the front desk at Sadler. She explained how the data were collected.
“Every hour, one of the people working at the front desk will go around to pretty much every part of Sadler and count the number of people in each spot (area),” MacDonald said.
Assistant Director of Operations of Student Unions and Engagement Chandler Agett shared that he [Student Unions and Engagement] sees the Slice as both a social and academic space.
“It can get kind of eerie when it is completely silent, that is more what Swem is for,” he said.
Nate Kim ’25 frequently spends time at the Slice. Before its opening, Kim spent a lot of time doing work in his dorm or at Swem.
“It was definitely less crowded [the Slice], and it was in a more central location, it’s nice that you can meet up with your friends there and then get lunch,” Kim said. “I would get lunch and then we would all huddle into a study room. We would hang out there for the day, or spend the entire afternoon in those study rooms or out in the main area.”
Kim mentioned another major convenience of the Slice as a multi-purpose space on campus.
“Being able to get to the dining hall super quickly is very nice,” Kim said. “You can just step down and eat then come back.”
Sadler’s main study areas can generally be split into four main areas. The Slice, the Atrium, the Griffin Nest, Union Central and Lodge One. The table below displays the average number of people across the four main areas of Sadler by day and time.
Sadler sees a spike in usage around noon on Mondays and Wednesdays, presumably from the noon lunch rush from Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes. Noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays sees fewer people comparatively. Sadler also sees spikes towards dinner time and sees more people on Sundays compared to Saturdays.
As for Sadler’s individual spaces, the following tables represent the average usage of each respective area.
The trends of each space seem to replicate the trends of the entire building. Weekdays around noon generally see a spike in people, with a steady decline throughout the rest of the day until around six. Sundays across each area see a spike in people as well, presumably due to students wanting to get work done in preparation for the week ahead.
Below is the comparison of the average number of people compared to each area’s maximum recorded number of people.
.Here, the Slice and Union Central appear to be used more. However, the lower Atrium bar could be a misrepresentation of the true usage of the space. This is because the maximum recorded value could have been during a large event, such as sororities chapter meetings every Monday.
MacDonald talked more about her experience of utilizing Sadler outside of her work.
“The general atmosphere of Swem is intense, and that’s not always what I am feeling or what my work needs,” MacDonald said. “I can go by myself and lock in for an hour, and it’s also really convenient because you can eat and then immediately go back to working.”
Brendan Maynard ’27 agrees with MacDonald’s assessment of Sadler’s convenience.
“It’s a very calm, welcoming environment, where you can sit and talk and also be able to sit and focus academically,” Maynard said. “You also have Sadler [the dining hall] right there. So whenever I’m thirsty, I can get another cup of coffee or some food and then sit back down and do my work.”
