by Audrey Poff 

Every generation of college students at Arkansas State seems to have a place that belongs to them. 

For some, it was the old Wigwam, a dining and social hub originally located in the basement of Wilson Hall before it evolved into the Wigwam Dining Hall in the Reng Student Union. For others, it may have been a more natural setting such as The Pines on game day. But for those of us who came of age on the A-State campus in the ’80s, that place was The Pavilion.

When I enrolled at Arkansas State in the ’80s, The Pavilion was still referred to as the “new” pavilion. The old pavilion, which sat across the pond behind what is now the A-State Alumni Center, had been demolished but was a popular hangout for previous generations. You can still see where it once stood beside the pond.

The Pavilion was never the fanciest place on campus. Its charm wasn’t in chandeliers or marble floors. It was a rustic venue on the edge of a small pond where college students frequently gathered for parties and dances organized by Greek organizations and other student groups.

I have lots of memories of parties at The Pav, but there’s one that stands out more than others – Alpha Gamma Delta’s 1987 pledge dance with its “Happy Camper” theme. There is no other reason I would reveal photos of me wearing a minnow bucket or “Wipe Out” surfing. 

The attire was simple and inexpensive – flannel shirts and acid-washed jeans accented with a few camping accessories. I made a necklace out of a red and white fishing bobber to complete my outfit. Later in the evening, my big sis in the sorority arrived and crowned me with a white Styrofoam minnow bucket. I’m not mentioning any names of those in the photos, but that’s her laughing beside me wearing the bucket. 

By the end of the night, we were dancing on the bar to “Wipe Out” by the Hip-Hop/Rap group Fat Boys. While that sounds a little on the wild side, let me explain. Wipe Out was a song that everyone “surfed” to as soon as it came on when we were in college. Students would stand in a chair or hop on a bar and surf to the music. I don’t think I will ever be able to hear the beginning of that song without remembering the fun we had surfing on dry land, especially inside The Pav. 

The music was loud and spilled out into the night air at The Pav, and if it got too crowded or hot inside, you could always walk outside onto the terrace. It was the place where sororities held dances, fraternities hosted mixers, and where countless student groups discovered that a good sound system, some cheap decorations and the right crowd could turn an ordinary evening into an unforgettable one.

Today, The Pavilion is stepping into a new era. A-State is giving the venue a much-deserved renovation, breathing new life into its walls and making it a place where today’s students can build their own memories without venturing far from campus. A-State Alumni Jerry Rapert of Jonesboro is set to open a new venue, The Den Zone, at The Pavilion this fall. 

Rapert says the idea for The Den Zone grew out of a commitment by Chancellor Todd Shields and the executive cabinet to provide students with more entertainment and social options on or near the A-State campus.

For those of us who remember The Pavilion in its glory days, there’s something comforting in knowing it won’t be forgotten. Instead, it’s being reimagined—ready to hold the laughter, music and stories of a whole new generation of students

I hope it becomes the kind of college hangout that we had as students—a place where no one cared if you chair surfed or got crowned with a minnow bucket because we were making memories that would last a lifetime.