By Tomas Acosta; Writing edited by Emily, Audio edited by George Wade
Have you ever been in the dungeon of Boyer? Tucked away to the right of the Chat is the building where I am forced to learn the magic of computer science. Everyday I look up to see the magnificent castle before turning away and walking down into the bleak and boring building dedicated to math and sciences. More than half of my classes, if not all, take place in that building and all within three rooms. However, I am fortunate enough to have a class elsewhere. I stroll by the pond, walk up the stairs, and I am greeted by a fortress of brick and a beautiful clock tower. The air is different in Murphy. The walls are colorful and there is a bowl of candy near the entrance. Home to media and communication majors, along with art students, as stated on the website, truly is a hidden gem.
I will be exploring the effects of taking classes in Murphy and the different experiences students at Arcadia have based on their location.
When making the decision of what my major was, I did not think I was choosing the walls that I would stare at for four years. Boyer is built like a bomb shelter with big, thick concrete walls with its main feature being the observatory. Walking there at 8:30 in the morning, to sit in a windowless room, sucks the life out of you. I mean, Boyer has windows, but the electronic light just infects the whole building. From my experience, Boyer is quiet. It gives the impression of someone who walked late into class and has their hoodie up. I can hear each step I take walking in the lifeless building. Don’t get me wrong, I have had good classes and memories in this building over the years, but compared to other buildings, Boyer becomes overshadowed.
It is interesting to look at the history of Boyer through the archives. I learned that this construction project was popular. Marian Boyer was a well respected individual in Philadelphia. She was active on the boards of the Penn Museum, the University Hospital, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Boyer’s donation meant a lot for Beaver College at the time. Even the Philadelphia Inquirer was writing about this donation, and she was humble enough to say that she did not want the building in her name. It was described as a low price, but Marian gifted Beaver College $3.5 million, and everything in Boyer was state of the art. This donation occurred in 1971 and with today’s economy, that amount is $27 million. Built to be contemporary in design compared to Grey Towers, the minimalist aesthetic used concrete works for the era, but now it is unfortunately the known eyesore on campus.
Having my first class in Murphy Hall last year, it felt like I was traveling to the suburbs for some fast food even though I was used to city living. You get that workout buzz when you open the door to Murphy because you have five minutes to get to class and it’s on the opposite side of campus on top of a hill. In Murphy, you are greeted with color and conformity. It has great heating and cooling, artwork (which is updated periodically) hanging all around, and random amenities. I did not know I could walk up there and walk back down to the main part of campus with a 4k camera in less than five minutes. Or, I did not know I could use Adobe creative software to create a 3D print. As well as the history of the building, the courtyard is marvelous and stone walls create the foundation. Murphy encourages creativity, but it also makes me feel important, as if I am worthy of the building beneath my feet.
I believe that the buildings have an effect on the students. The liveliness I see and sense with the students and atmosphere of Murphy is that much more welcoming than Boyer’s. In the sea of straight faces and silence in Boyer, the time moves slower and the boredom creeps faster. My theory is that Murphy Hall’s location, amenities, and teachers provide students a more welcoming college experience compared to those in Boyer. You can argue with the idea that the courses determine the mood, but every major on campus is difficult and catered. At the end of the day, I am coming here to learn and not to feel good, but I would rather come to a place of smiles than frowns. Throughout my experiment, I have been documenting students, teachers, and others that fit into the mix to reach a conclusion. I want to know if the location matters, as well if a quiet or vibrant place stimulates one’s mind more to officially determine if this is a campus-wide effect.
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