For Knights, by Knights · Class of 2026 ready

Your compass
at Gannon.

Find the best study spots, skip the dining guesswork, catch the events you actually care about, and crush every assignment — all in one place made for Erie's Knights.

Start exploring Academic tips
12+
Study spots mapped
40+
Dining options
Daily
Event updates
N S W E
Fuel up

Where Knights eat.

From 2AM slices to matcha between classes — here's the full map of on-campus and nearby spots, with real hours, meal swipes, and what's actually good.

Meal swipe

Knight Club

Late-night pizza, wings, and quesadillas. Student-run, always packed.

Mon–Sun · 11am–2am Waldron →
Declining $

Starbucks · Waldron

Classic Starbucks menu. Uses declining balance — good for between-class caffeine.

Mon–Fri · 7am–8pm Waldron →
Meal swipe

Metzgar Commons

Full dining hall: grill, salad bar, global station, dessert counter. Unlimited swipe.

Daily · 7am–8pm Metzgar Hall →
Off-campus

Like My Thai

Two-block walk. Pad thai, pho, bubble tea. Student discount Tuesdays.

Tue–Sun · 11am–9pm W 8th St →
Declining $

The Hammermill Grill

Burgers, fries, chicken sandwiches. Fast, reliable, open late on weekdays.

Mon–Fri · 10am–10pm Hammermill →
Off-campus

Press Coffee + Juice

Cold-pressed juices, acai bowls, matcha. Walk-friendly morning fuel.

Daily · 7am–6pm State St →
See the full dining map
Focus mode

Find your quiet.

Six spots, six vibes. Photos and picks from Bailey Clements's Gannon Knight photospread — because when the mid-semester rush hits, your usual desk feels a little too familiar.

All photos © Bailey Clements / The Gannon Knight.

Outdoor courtyard seating in the Nash Library basement — photo by Bailey Clements
Best for: Post-class decompression
Outdoor Nash basement

Nash Library Courtyard

Outdoor tables on both sides of the basement. Sit back, enjoy the weather, and get some work done after an intense lecture.

Nash Library Flex Rooms with TV screens for group study — photo by Bailey Clements
Best for: Exam preparation
Big groups TV screens

Nash Library · Flex Rooms

Also in the basement. Each room has TVs you can connect to — convenient for big-group class study sessions before a major exam.

Nash Library first-floor lounge with plush seating near the cafe — photo by Bailey Clements
Best for: Killing time
Cozy Cafe nearby

Nash Library · 1st Floor

Stuck between classes? Plush seats and couches to relax on, and the cafe is right there whenever you need to refuel.

Nash Library second floor with huge open windows — photo by Bailey Clements
Best for: People watching
Big windows Zone-out mode

Nash Library · 2nd Floor

For the zone-out workers. Huge open windows make it the best spot on campus to reset your brain mid-grind.

Booth seating in Beyer Hall perfect for group projects — photo by Bailey Clements
Best for: Group projects
Booth seating Low-key

Beyer Hall · The Booth

Gathering a group is hard enough — this booth makes it easier. Great for collaborating without the intensity of the library or a classroom.

Solo desk spot for last-minute deadline crunching — photo by Bailey Clements
Best for: The 11:59 deadline
Solo Emergency mode

Any Quiet Corner

We've all felt that familiar panic. A solo spot — corner desk, empty classroom, end-of-row carrel — for typing fast and hitting submit just in time.

More spots from the official Gannon guide
Nash · 3rd floor silent · 308 seats Zurn · Room 330 · 8a–4:30p Waldron Campus Center Palumbo Academic Center Yehl Ballroom · 48 seats CBI · 9th & Peach Center for Advanced Engineering Center for Communication & Arts
Nash Library
814-871-7557
What's happening

Don't miss a thing.

Speakers, intramurals, free food, open mics, movie nights. Filter by what actually fits your Tuesday.

View full calendar
Featured · This weekend

Spring Knights Concert: Local Natives + DJ Mint

Free for students with ID. Food trucks, giveaways, and a surprise opener from the Gannon music school.

Sat
26
Apr
Hammermill Lawn
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Doors at 6:15 · All ages
RSVP free
Thu
18
Apr
Career

Tech & Engineering Job Fair

40+ employers, resume reviews, free headshots. Waldron Ballroom.

11am – 3pm
Fri
19
Apr
Social

Free Movie Night: Dune Part 2

Popcorn + soda included. Nash Library Auditorium.

7pm – 10pm
Tue
23
Apr
Academic

Research Symposium Posters

Undergrad research on display. Free coffee + pastries. Zurn Hall.

1pm – 4pm
The playbook

Tips that actually work.

Battle-tested guidance on writing, research, time, and citations — inspired by Purdue OWL, adapted for the Gannon grind.

Start with the thesis

Your thesis is the claim everything else defends. Write it before the intro. If you can't argue it, rewrite it.

Read the guide →

Outline before you draft

Bullet the argument, then fill in prose. Catches structural holes before you've written 2000 wasted words.

Read the guide →

Read it out loud

Your ear catches what your eye skips. If a sentence trips you, rewrite it. This step alone fixes 80% of clarity issues.

Read the guide →

Start at Nash's databases

JSTOR, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost beat Google for academic sources. Access free with your Gannon ID from any device.

Read the guide →

Track sources as you go

Zotero or Mendeley. Save it the moment you find it — finding a quote you half-remember at 1am is its own circle of hell.

Read the guide →

Evaluate every source

CRAAP test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose. If a source fails two, drop it.

Read the guide →

Pomodoro, but real

25 minutes focus, 5 break, 4x, then a 20-min rest. Phone in another room. Not on the desk — another room.

Read the guide →

Block-schedule Sundays

30 minutes every Sunday: map the week, flag the hard deadlines, protect deep-work blocks in your calendar.

Read the guide →

Two-minute rule

If it takes under 2 minutes (reply, file upload, form), do it now. Tiny tasks pile up and eat your focus.

Read the guide →

Know which style to use

MLA (humanities), APA (sciences/social sci), Chicago (history/fine arts). When in doubt, ask your professor before draft one.

Read the guide →

Cite as you paraphrase

In-text citation goes in the same draft as the idea. Back-filling citations is the #1 way to accidentally plagiarize.

Read the guide →

Format the works-cited last

Keep a messy running list while you write. Clean + alphabetize on the final pass — don't break flow to fix commas mid-draft.

Read the guide →
Say hi

Questions? Feedback? Bring it.

Gannon Compass is built by students, for students. If something's missing — a dining spot, a tip, an event — tell us and we'll add it.

Campus
109 W 6th St, Erie, PA 16501
Waldron Campus Center, Room 204
Email
compass@gannon.edu
We reply within 24 hours on weekdays
Hours
Mon–Fri · 9am – 6pm
DMs open 24/7 on Instagram @gannoncompass

Drop us a line

Tell us what you wish was on here.