Bercham Kamber

When I tell other students I’m a computer science major, non-engineers usually comment on about how wonderful it must be to have lectures in technologically advanced buildings like Siebel Center and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building.

However, students don’t seem to realize is the Siebel Center and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building aren’t off limits to non-engineers. There’s no need to wonder what the interior of those buildings looks like when you can go to the buildings any time during a normal school day and check them out yourself.

After my sophomore year, I noticed a divide occuring between engineers and other majors that developed from a physical separator.

Green Street stands not only as the center for food and social outings but also as a physical demilitarized zone between the engineers and the rest of the student population.

This semester, I had my first class on the Main Quad. I realize I hadn’t actually stepped foot on the Quad during the majority of my sophomore year.

Having all my classes on the Engineering Quad became quite repetitive and boring. The halls I once looked upon with wonder now only brought memories of long nights spent coding in the basement of the Digital Computer Lab.

This divide between majors makes sense for travel time between classes, but it takes away the ability to experience all the University has to offer.

Luckily, this situation is in the midst of changing.

Recently, with the renovation of the Natural History Building, there has been a push for renovating different areas on campus to provide more interactive learning environments for students of all majors.

This push for renovation is great because it allows for a wider range of classrooms for students to learn in. This semester, only one of my engineering classes is held on the Engineering Quad.

My algorithms class is being held in the Natural History Building where the newly remodeled lecture hall can accommodate the larger class size. My CS and advertising class has a lecture in the Innovation Classroom in the Armory.

These locations provide a change of scenery compared with walking the same engineering halls. This gives me the chance to appreciate the University’s large campus and to enter parts of campus I don’t normally have a reason to visit.

With the renovation of older buildings to accommodate new teaching styles and classes, the trend of having classes all over campus should continue for all majors, so no part of campus will seem foreign.

Brian is a junior in Engineering.

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