Find Your Center: Students’ “Third Space” at Harvard

According to the City of Boston’s former Third Spaces Lab, “third spaces” are environments outside our homes (“first spaces”) and workplaces (“second spaces”), like parks, libraries, and cafés, that contribute to our overall well-being. 

Harvard Griffin GSAS students’ third space on campus is the Student Center at Lehman Hall. 

Nestled at the edge of Harvard Yard, the Center is not only the site of events that bookend the graduate student experience, such as Welcomes orientation events and the Dean’s Reception at Commencement, but also a place meant to support the student experience every day in between. With a welcoming environment featuring activities including game nights, musical performances, and meetings of the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Council (GSC), the Student Center is a place to find rest, entertainment, learning opportunities, and community amid the graduate school experience. 

The Center of Student Life

With over a century of history, including past lives as the University’s Counting House and later as Dudley House, Lehman Hall stands at the corner of Harvard Yard, where Massachusetts Avenue meets Dunster Street. Boasting more than 25,000 square feet across four floors, it’s the largest graduate student space among all Ivy League schools. The building houses the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office Residential Life (room 203), Student Services (room B-2), the Student Center staff offices (room 306), the dean of students (room 312), and the Fellowships & Writing Center postdocs (room 310). It’s also the site of programming by the Student Center Fellows and the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Center Council.

To many students, however, Lehman Hall is more than just a physical space—it’s a cornerstone of their Harvard experience. “Lehman Hall isn’t just a building—it’s a vibrant center of the Harvard Griffin GSAS community,” says Clare Xie, a PhD candidate in materials science & mechanical engineering and a Student Center Athletics Fellow. “A simple meal or conversation here can spark new friendships and remind us that we’re part of a larger support network. As a Student Center Fellow, I’ve seen how programming and events—both at Lehman Hall and beyond—help students connect, recharge, and truly feel at home at Harvard.”

Janet Daniels, the Center’s interim director, emphasizes that the Student Center offers students a much-needed break from the intensity of graduate life. “Our goal is to complement the academic journey with spaces of fun, learning, pause, community building, and professional development,” she says. “We hope students who take time to relax at the Center return to their work with greater energy, clarity, and joy.”

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Students study and grab a coffee at Café Gato Rojo, a student-run coffee shop located inside Lehman Hall.

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Tony Rinaldo

Built for Belonging

Currently, 44 student groups, 14 Student Center Fellows, and multiple Harvard Griffin GSAS offices host events and activities at Lehman Hall and beyond. From art workshops and music rehearsals to professional development seminars and dances, there’s something for everyone. 

“Lehman Hall has been a wonderful central space for gathering and hanging out,” says William Tong, a PhD candidate in applied math and leader of the Game Guild, a Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Group. “Our group relies on Lehman every week to host our frequent game nights and miscellaneous events. The space is comfortable, centrally located, and an excellent platform for bringing together our gaming community.”

Students can find updated information about programs and organizations on Engage. The staff, also known as the Student Center Squad, always welcomes feedback about new events or groups students want to see. Daniels encourages every student to check out the building, even if it’s just to take a break between classes. 

“It’s good for students to know there’s a space in Cambridge for them, whether they want to do something for five minutes, need the bathroom, want to cool down in the air conditioning, refill a water bottle, or change a baby diaper. All of that can be done here. I’d recommend that a student just walk through all the floors of the building and know what’s here. Put it in the back of their head. If they want to spend every day here, they can. If they want to spend just an hour, they can. But they should know it’s theirs to use.”

While Daniels hopes all Harvard Griffin GSAS students will visit the Center in person, she also invites them to do so virtually, through a video tour of Lehman Hall. Led by recent medical anthropology master’s graduate David Caldas, the tour walks viewers through the building, highlighting spaces like the Café Gato Rojo, the Game Room, the Fireside Room, and the dining hall. 

“Lehman Hall is where I met my closest friends, made incredible memories, and sought breaks from a busy life as a graduate student,” Caldas says. “It’s where I could always find a friendly face to share a meal or a thought with. I will always cherish that space as one of the best parts of my graduate experience at Harvard Griffin GSAS.”

Find Your Center

The goal of the Student Center is to support all the aspects of graduate life: academic, social, emotional, and intellectual. Its tagline, “Find Your Center,” invites students to discover what they need from the space and programming, as well as their personal center and wellbeing.

“Graduate students are here for a long time,” Daniels says. “It can be a hard journey. No one is hiding that fact. Community building, especially through activities outside the cohort, even something as simple as a craft night, can make a real difference. It might just help you have a better day, and maybe even help your science if it gives you a break and shifts your thinking.”

As the semester begins and the campus fills with new faces and renewed energy, Daniels and all the staff at Lehman Hall invite students to visit there and find belonging. “Whether you come for a study break, a game night, or just a treat from Café Gato Rojo, this space is here for you,” Daniels says. “Third spaces matter, and Lehman Hall can be yours if you are a Harvard Griffin GSAS student. We welcome you to find your center here.”

Banner photo by Tony Rinaldo