One night this weekend I was walking home from a show and I began to ponder what I would write about for this discussion board post. I was quite positive that architecture had no effect on why I chose this school or how I learn here, so I was quite shocked when a warm feeling poured over me when I entered the grounds of the school. I was no longer dodging busy traffic or waiting at cross-walks, and everything just seemed much more inviting. When I read the part of the "Oxford in English Literature" article that says "to enter within it's guarded portals is to step out of the busy whirl of the everyday world and into an enclosed space of timeless tranquility," I immediately thought of this feeling (Dougill). Something about being on our campus brings about a feeling of almost laziness. Even in the most frenetic times between classes everything somehow still feels idyllic. Part of the reason I fell in love with this school is this aura is radiates. Here, I can try anything and be anyone I want to be and the campus will support me. And I like the idea that we don't have walls, like Oxford, because this sense of well-being isn't hoarded inside the college, but is radiated out into the surrounding areas.

The only time (before this assignment) I have actively thought about architecture during my life on campus was while cursing the ridiculous design of the ECJ which requires one to go down a flight of stairs to access the front door and then up another flight to get back to the ground floor. Besides this detail, the buildings where I spend most of my time (Jester, UTC, Welch, ESB, and RLM) seem to have very utilitarian designs. When you look at these buildings, it seems like they were built to achieve a goal, rather than make a bold statement, more about getting from point A to B as quickly as possible. But, even if this is the case, they don't look flimsy. All of the buildings here are thick. They are solid and hard and when you are in them it feels like a fortress where you can learn and think, without interference from the outside world. There is a sense of modesty that comes through these buildings. That is, from such clunky, plain buildings emerge such grandiose and precious ideas. Fancy building aren't needed, because the ideas speak for themselves.

if there is a major fault in the architecture of our campus it is that there is nothing just plain awful. It seems all of the buildings are rather bland. There are no risks. Architects are forced to stick to what "a member of the university's board of regents, found most fitting" (Sudjic). I've gathered from the articles that what made the University of Virginia such a spectacular architectural campus was that Thomas Jefferson had total control of the building process. It seems what has made our campus so bland is that all new buildings have to please everyone. Even when we had the opportunity to work with the some of the most interesting and creative architects in the world, the system tried to force them to dumb down for their audience. It's a major inconsistency that such a vibrant, creative, and risk-taking university won't take an artistic chance.

Another source of problems, that I have observed in classroom, is the set-up of the classes. "College classrooms are not easily inhabited" or conducive to discussion or learning ("Learning to Dwell"). All of my non-honors classes are set up where the teacher is at ground level and the students stretch far up and back. I've watched as teachers struggle to initiate discussion or get close to the students, while attempting to climb stairs and having their back turned to other parts of the class. The classrooms just aren't set up for interaction. I think circular rooms could bring more of an environment of community to classes. Like the Ogalala Sioux, the shapes we are forced into are taking away our power.

I have mixed feelings about the statements in "Learning to Dwell" regarding students feeling welcome in new places. There have definitely been times when i have wandered into the wrong area and felt completely out of place. One day I was looking for my Computer Science professors office and I accidentally went into one of the university's most expensive computer research labs. All of the researchers looked at me like I was from Mars. Now, I understand that they were probably calculating pi out to the 12 trillionth digit, but this is my school too. On the other hand, this morning I was searching for the place where the Austin City Limits television show is filmed. There were no clear signs posted, so I wandered through the Communication Center rather aimlessly. After riding the elevator to the 5th floor I stepped out and almost collided with Jack White, a member of one of my favorite bands, The White Stripes. After scooting around him in shock, I spotted Sufjan Stevens and his band hanging out in their dressing room. None of them seemed to really care that I was there. This is what makes this university so exciting. You never know what is going on in the room next to your class. There could be scientists working on a cure for cancer, geologists calculating the age of the earth, or your favorite band filming a show.