illustration by Arnie Bermudez
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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, November 5, 2003
Homecoming Week is a time when UA alums return to campus to celebrate the connections they have to the university. It is a time for alumni to meet with friends, visit faculty and relive college memories. For those of us here embarking on our academic experience, this is the time to make those connections, ties that will decide whether we come back to the UA for homecomings in the future. In the spirit of celebrating campus tradition, we asked our columnists: What's your favorite UA building?
Together, we could break the AME bridge
Without doubt, the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering building is the finest in all the land. Designed to look like an airplane hangar, its open walkways, observation platform, and pristine courtyard fill me with confidence that I, too, can land on the moon in a craft that our undergraduates have built.
This reliance on human ingenuity is only accentuated by the suspension bridge which, if I understand correctly, can hold an almost unlimited amount of weight - as demonstrated by the various classes each fall that take a short field trip to bounce up and down on it. At such times, hearing the metal creak under thudding feet, I almost hesitate to walk beneath it. But then I say to myself, "By God, this is the same breed of people that fills the sky with roaring planes, symbols of mankind's mastery of the heavens! If they can't do it, no one can!"
Of course, there's something intoxicating about an indestructible bridge. As surely as the iceberg aspired to prove Titanic's builders wrong, I would like to see nature (or a crowd of rioters) overpower AME. I think that, with teamwork, we could overcome physical barriers just as the astronauts did when they first penetrated outer space. Yes, we could see the bridge fall.
Since it is precisely that theme of discovery that AME is built upon, I hardly think they'd mind seeing the bridge in a shambles of twisted metal if, around it, students of all backgrounds were bandaging each other's wounds in victory.
And then we could all get a bite to eat at the AME Food Stop.
Sabrina Noble is a senior majoring in English and creative writing. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Time to treasure a campus gem: Old Main
It may be lame or clichˇ, but Old Main has to be my favorite building on campus. Not just because it used to be the University of Arizona or that its sole presence on campus hands down makes our campus neater than ASU, but because she is the centerpiece - the gem - of our campus. Plus, it is the perfect spot to make out with guys.
At night, Old Main stands out against the lighted fountain, cactus and trees that surround her. Some people might not know, but the squeaky second floor is the best place to end your evening jog and do crunches in the cool desert air.
The absolute neatest place to study -when it's not windy - is underneath the deck at the wooden tables. The finches, cactus wrens and Gila woodpeckers will hop around you while looking for crumbs while the sound of water reduces the churn of the university to a calm ripple.
While the historical building has been saved and renovated many times, work can still be done. The landscape around Old Main has been neglected for several years now, and is the perfect location for a xeroscaping overhaul with an integrated system of passive water harvesting. Oh, and the teeter-totter has to go.
Take a nap on her benches. Walk on her wooden floors. Stand at her railing and look around at the campus that has been created around her. Old Main absolutely is the treasure of our campus.
Jessica Lee is an environmental science senior. She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
Social Sciences reigns supreme at UA
The new buildings at the UA are showy and exciting with all of their fancy new features, but the old buildings near Old Main have the warmth and grounded history that give the UA its heart and soul. My favorite could be none other than Social Sciences.
With its perfect view of the Old Main fountain and mature mesquite trees, Social Sciences is right in the heart of campus. The old-East-Coast-college-style brick walls, long windows, and stairs leading up to the ground floor work their way into college memories for every student. But the building itself, while important, is out-shined by what goes on inside the Social Sciences building.
Social Sciences is the building that houses history, philosophy, sociology and my department, political science. The UA may be better known for its advances on the cutting edge of science and technology, but the departments in the Social Sciences building are what make this university human, by studying people and their behavior.
Hallways of classrooms with lively discussions and lectures, and professors' offices with posters that remind us of ancient England, deploring the travesties of war, and calling for remedies to social injustices are what make Social Sciences so special.
Kendrick Wilson is a political science junior. He can be reached atletters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
'Stunning' Arizona State Museum has class
Campus has a diverse selection of buildings, but the finest piece of architecture at the UA is west of Old Main - the place where university development began.
The Arizona State Museum, originally the university library when it opened in the 1920s, is the most stunning building on campus, both inside and out.
It cost nearly half a million dollars to construct, a huge amount of money for the time.
The building's exterior is impressive, but unlike many other buildings in the area (i.e. Old Main, Communication building), which have been gutted and renovated over the decades, the museum's interior has been preserved.
The marble lobby, sweeping staircase and upstairs reading room are sights not to be missed before graduating.
In her 1985 book "A Photographic History of the University of Arizona," Phyllis Ball noted that the building was once hailed "one of the handsomest public buildings in Arizona."
If the Arizona State Museum heads to a redeveloped downtown district, let's hope the university finds a proper, worthy use for this exquisite showcase of bricks and mortar.
Daniel Scarpinato is a journalism and political science senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
The stadium is a hidden treasure on campus
Of all the buildings on campus filled with classrooms, offices and dorm rooms, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It may not be the best-looking building, but Arizona Stadium is the one building that has, and always will have, a special place in my heart.
The most interesting thing about the largest building in Tucson is that it is really a collection of several smaller structures. The first was finished in 1929 but since then other pieces have slowly been added to the puzzle that is the stadium to create the grand structure that stands before us now. Over the years the stadium has been home to countless memories of countless Wildcats.
I myself have added to this ever-growing collection of diverse memoirs. From playing basketball in its shadow, to calling it my home (anyone who has lived there can tell you it's one of the best halls), to being trapped within it on a first date, I can't help but smile at how much the stadium has affected my life here at the UA.
Seeing the sea of red every Saturday is such an amazing sight - one that shouldn't be missed - but the stadium is so much more then just football. The games are just a small piece that make the stadium is special to so many people.
Jason Poreda is a political science and communication senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu
Going with Koffler
I like almost all the buildings on campus, save for the Harvill building. One building - which I am admitting I have never stepped foot in but which looks very interesting - is the Koffler building. Even though I have never had class in Koffler, I have walked past it or have seen it almost daily. I feel like a lot of the student body has not been inside Koffler, but has always wondered what's inside and why it has those creepy little figurines, reminiscent of Mardi Gras or something, on top of the archway in front of the building.
The Koffler building was built in 1992 and houses biochemistry, microbiology and physiological sciences, just to name a few - that probably has something to do with why I have ever been in there. It was originally called the CBS building - for "chemical and biological sciences." It was named after Henry Koffler, who was the 16th president of the UA, from 1982-1989. President Koffler is credited with revamping undergraduate education here and making registration more efficient.
Koffler is one of the more modern-looking buildings on campus and its architecture is impressive - it is an aesthetically pleasing structure. It towers over almost all the other buildings on campus. In short, Koffler just looks cool.
Ryan Scalise is a political science senior. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.
