Editor’s note: This article is part of the Arizona Summer Wildcat’s 2014 Campus Guide. The Campus Guide is a special issue that runs every year to help introduce incoming students to the UA and campus life.
I am on campus a lot; it is my second home. I am here so much, by mid-semester I forget where I actually live and my tuition is equal to that of a down payment on a medium sized house. Regardless, the experiences, friendships and knowledge that I have gained are going to stick with me forever, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
In the many hours I have spent here in the past two years, I have learned many things beyond lectures and labs. If you replace water with Red Bull when making coffee you might be able to read all of Tolstoy in a night, but you may have hallucinations of the author reading to you. If the sun is up you will not get a parking spot. And, according to this guy named Dean, I am going to hell.
Since I practically live on campus, I have had to find my own hideaways and places of interest there. Many people don’t do this, but I think everyone should take it upon themselves to discover unexplored corners of the school. To inspire that, here are a few treasures that I have found in the past two years.
The Reading Room
As a journalism major, I should reveal that I am biased in calling the journalism reading room my favorite spot on campus. It’s small, no bigger than a classroom. The walls have bookcases with publications and displays relevant to journalism. In the center of the room is a large weathered table and couches where people can lounge and work.
The Reading Room’s awesomeness is in part thanks to its exclusivity. It is provided by the journalism program for its students, allowing them to work and relax. Here, I met many great people, more than anywhere else on campus, usually huddled around a corner of the table close to the lone power strip we could access for computers.
UAMC’s Poet Sculpture
It’s 2 a.m. on a Friday in September, and after a night at Dirtbag’s, nothing sounds better than McNuggets and fries from the McDonald’s across the street. After eating your fill and leaving or being thrown out, the thought crosses your mind: “Hey, let’s explore the area a bit and sober up!”
In a drunken daze you wander up Warren Avenue, and suddenly spot something so weird and freaky that it takes you right out of your drunken stupor: a giant blue glowing head on the sidewalk.
You have just stumbled upon the “Poet” sculpture, across from University of Arizona Medical Center, a piece of public art created by Ben Olmstead and Simon Donovan for the nearby Tucson Sun Link Modern Streetcar stop. Its a truly odd and somewhat creepy UA feature that is sure at least to ensure you will remember where Warren Avenue Streetcar stop is.
The ninth floor study area of the Gould-Simpson building
For many, studying at the UA is done at the library, the Student Union Memorial Center or at home. However, if you want a place that is different and has one of the best views in the city, this spot is for you.
The ninth floor of the Gould-Simpson building is a rather secluded, small study area that is usually quiet and empty, and while meant for computer science majors, it is open to all students from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Beyond its seclusion and comfortable chairs, one is faced with a massive window facing the Santa Catalina Mountains and north side of the city, which stretches out before you in a great expanse that will inspire great work, or at least soften the crushing blow of an F, because hey, mountains!
Beyond these three spots, there are numerous other gems on campus, from the orange tree path, to the restaurants on University Boulevard and many more. But I won’t reveal all of those. They’re mine, find your own!
