The Joynes Reading Room, Seminar Rooms and the Joynes Programs

The Joynes Suite

Through the generosity of the estate of Plan II Honors alumna, Mary Lu Joynes, the Dean's office of the College of Liberal Arts, and the Division of Housing and Food Service, space in the Carothers Residence Hall was remodeled to create the Joynes Reading Room and two seminar rooms for honors classes.

The elegant seminar rooms offer cutting edge technology and custom-built furniture. The elliptical table in the north room was designed and built by Dr. Paul Woodruff, Daniel Kievlan (Plan II, May 2006) and Matt Valentine (Plan II, May 2000). The rooms seat 20 people in comfort, and receive some natural light from clerestory windows opening on the Joynes Reading room.  When the seminar rooms are not being used by classes, honors students may reserve them for extracurricular activities, club meetings, or group study sessions.

The Joynes Reading Room is a hub of activity for all the honors programs on campus. This comfortable library space houses a collection of literature, art, and films. Thousands of books have been carefully selected to supplement your learning, and over 300 DVDs are available to watch on one of three projection screens. Laptop computers are available from the Joynes Room front desk, with complimentary printing and internet access over our wireless network.

All three rooms are wired for both wireless internet access and have live dataports. Each seminar room is outfitted with a complete media console, including document cameras and ceiling-mounted projectors. Carothers is on Whitis, south of Dean Keeton, directly across from the College of Communication.

Joynes Programs

Every month, the Joynes Room hosts a visiting writer. These authors, poets, artists and scholars give public readings or lectures, and meet with a small group of students to discuss the craft of writing. Recent visitors have included finalists for the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize.

The Joynes Room also offers fellowships to support student writers. These include a scholarship and sponsorship for participation in book fairs, festivals and plays.

If you are interested in scheduling the Joynes Room, you can fill out a reservation form online.