Manning said the goal is to cultivate a closer-knit community, and the new space includes details guided by student input that do just that. A giant whiteboard, for example, serves as the focal point of the lounge — an addition proposed by junior Jay O’Neill, a U.S. Air Force veteran pursuing a double concentration in electrical engineering and East Asian studies.

“It’s one of those things you always see in the movies — pulling all-nighters with your friends, working together with a big board to solve problems, making sure you all understand the concepts,” O’Neill said. “This room is all about collaboration, and I think that having an open atmosphere where people feel like they can contribute is one of the greatest things.”

Kloey Albertson, a sophomore who serves as president of Brown’s Student Veterans Society, agrees. While she always felt a strong sense of a belonging as a student veteran at Brown, the new space bolsters the feeling, she said.

“It’s so much more conducive to community-building,” Albertson said. “We can actually come together in one place to get to know each other better, which I think will really encourage more people to want to come and spend more time in the space.”

Even as OMAS focuses on preparing students for the future, Manning said he worked with Brown’s Facilities Management team and contractors to include creative, nostalgic design elements for the new space.

Archival photos of Brown student veterans and vintage wartime posters decorate the walls. The heavy, solid-wood door connecting to the office to the lounge was built to include a porthole — a nod to Rhode Island’s longstanding U.S. Navy presence. An antique military flag and saber that Manning uncovered in the prior OMAS space have been restored and placed in a custom display above his desk.

In many ways, Manning said the combination of subtle design and flexible functionality reflects his vision for OMAS — an office that meets the vast and varied need of every student, whether they plan to fully immerse themselves in the military-affiliated community, or if “student veteran” is just a small part of their identity.

“I want the role of OMAS to be ‘a la carte,’” he said. “The beauty of Brown is that there are so many opportunities to experience new things, and we don’t want to stand in the way. In fact, we want students to leverage us to the maximum for their needs, and then jump to whatever it is they want next — and we’ll be there to provide a healthy, supportive environment every step of the way.”