Diversity

I rarely ever go inside the Wexner Center, mainly because I don’t feel comfortable there. The lack of comfort was subconscious before our field trip, but became very evident as I observed the space from an analytical point of view. I would describe myself as an active, middle class, “sporty” kinda guy. The Wexner Center creates a demeanor of  all the things I’m not. It has an art gallery, a coffee shop, and a book store. I like ESPN, passing a soccer ball, and grilling out on a warm night. Everyone there was quiet and composed. They created a very “adult” like image. I, on the other hand, like to be loud and playful. Though the space made me uncomfortable, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the  obvious differences. The architecture caught my eye as soon as I walked in the door. The high ceiling and the smooth lines created a sense of dignity and class. It’s pretty amazing how something as inert as a space can evoke such emotions. The diversity in the places around campus represent the diversity that Ohio State has here at the university. We can appreciate the diversity in the places around campus as much as the diversity of the students here because the diversity here is what makes us truly great!

Thompson Library

The Thompson library is a very modern and sophisticated place.  It’s a place where many students do research, study, or just “kill time” between classes.  It’s a very inviting and open space with large windows for lots of natural light and even walls made of glass.  On the first floor is the café.  In the café students can have their lunch or enjoy a cup of coffee.  People share these pleasant moments with their friends or their laptops.  There are also many quiet areas with comfortable seating and desks with computers where anyone can read a book or do homework.  In addition to the common areas, there are rooms that are equipped for group study.    

The library has a welcoming atmosphere.  This is especially important now days because technology is pushing printed material like books, magazines, and newspapers out of our lives.  More and more people prefer to use their computers for reading, while others like to listen to audio books.  As a result, less people actually pick up a book or magazine to read.  I guess I’m one of those dinosaurs who actually prefer to read a real book rather than an electronic source.

Blog post #2

I’d like to say the Oval is most interesting place of OSU. When I first pay attention to these sunbathers, I was surprise to see how open American people are. The lawn of the Oval looks like a big beach. A lot of beautiful girls only wear a bra and a underwear to enjoy sunshine. They lay down on grass, some are studying , some are chatting, and some are looking at blue sky to enjoy sun-bath. But I am sure no Asian girls wear like that because Asian girls are more conservative. And also, Asian girls don’t like sun -bath, because they are afraid that their skin to be dark. In my country, young girls like to take a umbrella to avoid to expose in sunshine in summer. After I came to America, I began to like sunshine. I ‘d like to do some sports in sunshine.

This is a beautiful scenery, I’d like to take a picture for these sunbathers and send it to my friends, let them know what American university looks like and how open American people are. Summer in Columbus is very beautiful, not too hot, it is green everywhere,and sky is always blue.

The Library

The only times I’ve been to the Thompson Library are on weekdays, and anytime before noon.  So, I can’t say that I’ve seen a mixture between different races, genders, and age groups at certain times.  But, at the times that I do go, the majority of the people on the first two floors are just young college students. (However, the small cafe at  the back entrance of the library has a variety of people young and old.)

At the library, the environment(especially the placement and types of furniture) has a huge effect on the behaviors and actions of the students.  For example, the students at the library are encouraged by the couch-chair seats to get comfortable and spread their things out on the table in front of them.  The computers are in a cramped space, so you can’t really spread out on the desk next to you because the likelihood of the computer next to you being taken is extremely high.

Everywhere in the library (besides the closed off conference rooms)everyone has to remain at a really quiet level…its not an eerie quiet, just comfortable enough for some kids to sleep and others to focus on their studies. : )

Blog Post 2 The Oval

The oval is always crowded with people doing different activities in warm spring weather. It is easy to find sunbathers surrounded by people who are playing frisby or throwing balls. However, these people on the oval, except those who are promoting events or doing surveys, all leave plenty of spaces for other people passing by. In other words, pathways across the oval limit what people can do on different sizes of lawns. But, a week before the final week of spring quarter, I saw several people playing soccer on a small lawn just in the front of the statue of Thompson. These guys were juggling the ball and lobbed it to others. I was curious about that would any of them let the ball fall out of their circle or hit anyone nearby, so I stayed and watched them. Disappiontedly, they kept juggling and lobbing the ball accurately to others. This potential “rule-breaking” behavior really draws my attention.

The Oval

Since winter quarter I’ve had to spend time going by the oval, mainly for walking to Hagerty Hall for class, in those times I have seen people using it to walk to class, to sketch what they see, for class or fun, people setting up tents for a variety of reasons, and people playing sports of some sort.  This is because the oval is a very utilizable and accessible area that almost anyone can use.  I’m not really sure what else to say, I’m only saying this since the requirements list that the post needs to be at least 150 words, and before this sentence I had exactly half that.  One thing that I think would be interesting would be to see how a small size concert venue would work in the oval, mainly since it can be set up fairly easily and the biggest issue may be the stage or crowd.

The Oval (Blog Post #2)

When thinking of the oval, there are a huge variety of things to be considered. What time are you observing the oval? What day of the week is it? How is the weather outside? The oval is by far one of the most basic spaces on campus, yet it can be transformed and reconfigured to suit a vast variety of situations.

As a space, the oval proves to be a complicated, but very interesting place for analysis. Personally, i think the easiest way to analyze the space is to look at one aspect of it. How are the bodies within this space affected by the day of the week? How do the bodies interact based on local, state, or national events such as a buckeye game or the 4th of july? How are bodies dressed within the oval? There are truly an infinite amount of choices and options to analyze when looking at this space.

If i was to analyze this space, would it be better to focus on the space itself? The way the space is dressed and adorned or the way the space creates a certain atmosphere? Or would it be smarter to look at the the way the space affects people? How bodies within the space have to adapt to the space in order to be comfortable?

Oh, that’s a good serving of food for thought.

Lincoln Tower

Last year, I lived in Lincoln Tower.  By going to and from this place, I was able to see many unusual habits and interactions between people and their environment.

For instance, most “sane” people use the elevators to get up to their floor instead of taking the stairs.  The stairs are rarely used because the actual dorm rooms start on the 16th floor, with 14 and lower being offices.  When you get on the elevators, there is a certain etiquette that is followed by everyone.  Everyone usually faces towards the door and is silent.  However, Lincoln Tower had a few clowns who would face the back of the elevator.  This would cause some people to feel uncomfortable.  I, however, found it more interesting to watch those people be uncomfortable in close quarters.

Another area in Lincoln Tower was the actual dorm rooms.  Several of my suite-mates likened the rooms as a prison cell.  There are no window in the common room, so it was always dark.  If you took a nap, you could wake up hours later and not know what time it was.  Another way the rooms felt like a prison was the one window that was present in each of the rooms where students sleep.  This window was about 2′ by 3′ and did not open. If there would have been bars, it would have just added to the effect.

Park Hall

Park Hall is one of the dorms that make up the Freshman 4 on south campus. We didn’t go here on the tour, but I’m assuming that there are going to be numerous posts on the library and The Oval. I’m just going to go in a different direction. I lived in Park Hall as a freshman last year and I enjoyed it. The environment definitely has a rowdy feel to it though; different from most other areas of campus. During the school year, Park Hall is a very lively dorm.There are always people hanging out everywhere around the building and inside the building. There is so much energy in the building because nearly all of its residents are freshmen who are trying to get the most out of their freshman experience. On any given night there’s sure to be a strong odor of alcohol and weed. There is a reason why Park Hall is known as “Party Park”. As far as the living conditions go, the place looks like a prison. The hallway lighting is dim and there is no carpet. And there is no A/C which is just inhumane, especially come spring quarter. The bathrooms aren’t too bad, but over the weekends they get trashed to the point that you can’t even go in. Too bad for the cleaning ladies. Overall, I think that people would not choose to live in Park Hall. But most were not given the choice, so Park Hall ends up being an environment in which its freshman residents are just making the best out of what they were given.