ISU students searching for an alternative place to study besides the Memorial Union and the library only have to look south of campus.St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center, 2210 Lincoln Way, and other area churches have opened its doors to students looking for a place to study.”We moved into our current Student Center 1 year ago,” said Father Everett Hemann, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas. “While we have been open to students for many years, the expanded facility gives students a lot more space to meet and study.”Hemann said ISU students are aware of their facilities through word of mouth. One example would be of their mentioning it to the greek houses.Tau Kappa Epsilon is one of the fraternities visiting the study facilities.”St. Thomas is only a couple of blocks away from my house,” said Tony Straub, sophomore in mechanical engineering, “and I don’t want to walk across campus.”As scholastic chair, he said he leads 18 fraternity members to St. Thomas’s lounge and library to study from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.Hemann also said the student center is one of many ways to minister to all students at Iowa State. “We do not check ID cards at the door,” he said. “If a student finds their way to our place looking for a spot to study, chat with friends, or have a serious discussion with fellow students or staff, that is why we are here. We do not ever try to convert them.”Sara Brenner, outreach peer minister for St. Thomas, said she agrees with Hemann. “The majority of people that are here weren’t Catholic,” she said. “We have a lot of space available. The student lounge off Lincoln Way provides about 35 spaces for people to sit and study.”Evening has been the most popular time to study, Hemann said. “In my observation, the heavy study time is after 9 p.m.,” he said. “Lots of evenings, there are meetings, classes and faith sharing groups going on earlier. Our classrooms have become a popular space for late night group projects work.”Brenner, senior in genetics, said the library is a great addition to the church. “The library is popular. It’s quiet up there, and 20 or so people can fit comfortably,” she said. “There was a library in the old building, but it wasn’t as big and as furnished.”The lower lounge, Brenner said, provides a “wide-open space, long table and round tables.””Most of [the students] want to be on couches in the student lounge,” she said. “The crowd varies from a dozen or so constantly from 3 p.m. to midnight. Surprisingly, on Friday and Saturday nights, you’ll see maybe a half-dozen people.”St. Thomas’s library and lounge is open from 8 a.m. to midnight.