OK, I admit it. I actually like living in the Graduate Living Center or Southside Apartments, as it is now referred to. By now, you have probably completely lost respect for me, but chances are I never really had much respect for you anyway.
In my second year at GLC now, the mere thought of not needing my bathing accessories when I would go for a shower excites me. I proudly open my mammoth refrigerator or cook hardboiled eggs on my stove. Furthermore, and probably most importantly, I don’t need to curb my enthusiasm on the weekends. This is how life should be.
But, alas, there is something missing from my utopia. As I look around on my way to and from GLC, all I see is an abundance of nothing. Surrounding the towers are a soccer field, a pseudo-track and field, pseudo-rugby field and a little-league baseball diamond – nothing that could be of use to me as a resident of GLC.
To me, it makes little sense that in a predominantly residential area – graduate housing is just across the street – there are few, if any, facilities that cater to these residents.
Not much seems to have changed since GLC was erected in 1965. Over the years, it seems as though the university forgot about that far away land we call GLC.
The “OTIS certified” elevators move slower than the lines at the Pit while the puke-stained couches in the basement “lounge” were probably “purchased” from the other side of the footbridge. All in all, GLC is well overdue for renovation and refurbishing.
While I do enjoy the occasional game of soccer, I believe that maybe a dining hall would be more appropriate.
We do need sustenance, and sometimes, we don’t want to have to walk all the way to Douglass Dining Center to get it.
A dining hall, or even a caf much like Hillside, would easily add more value to the lives of the students – who, may I remind President Seligman, are the source of future alumni donations. Besides, this is probably one of the few suggestions that Aramark will go out of its way to support.
A caf would also solve the problem of the lack of a common area for students to hang out. I regularly miss acting like a complete idiot in my old Hoeing Hall lounge.
While there has been some change – the new shower heads are amazing and I believe we will have new pool tables soon – there is still much work left.
So, President Seligman, if you actually read the Campus Times and are wasting even more time by reading my article, I implore you to change more than just GLC’s name. Minority and international students need a life, too.
Madhur can be reached at smadhur@campustimes.org.
