Observing UIC Environment

             Many of the residents were walking peacefully to their destination at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). They were doing their typical routine and not complaining about it. It looked like the many of the well suited business men and women seen in downtown Chicago going about their usual business with no complaints. But most of these people roaming around the university are students.

            For many years, UIC has been known for its large research institution. It has always attracted its commuters because transportation is nearby. Originally, UIC built their institution near these transportations to accommodate students from the military during World War II. Because of this easy public access, many students from all different places have joined this research institution.                     

                              

                 Photo courtesy of http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/UofI-halsted.html by Graham Garfield

                                                         Picture of Blue line train station.

            The gigantic structure that is seen from a far distance is called University Hall. It looks like some sort of prison cell. The skeleton-like exterior gradually widens on seeming to do so as the building increases its height. As one approaches the building, there are huge and heavy columns supporting the building. This odd structure looks intimidating from the outside, but it can also look intimidating in the inside. Students usually go inside the building to meet professors in their offices for help. In each floor there are different academic departments from the College of Liberal Arts and Science and the College of Business Administration. On the first two floors, students can relax and study. As intimidating the structure seems, I personally don’t enter the building unless I have to talk to one of my professors. Instead due to the immense size of the building, I use it as a guide to help me locate around the campus.                                                                             

                                                          Photo of University Hall taken.

            A student was stopped casually walking by University Hall and was asked what he thought about the current location. “ At this time of the year it’s relaxing to walk around here because there is so much open space and greenery. Maybe I think that because I’m interested in art,” laughed Jared Deinlein, a junior at UIC. Just like what he said about having a lot of open space, there were some people relaxing on the grass under a tree.

                                          

                                                     Photo taken around Stevenson Hall area.

            As seen around Stevenson Hall, there were occasions where an entire class got out of Stevenson Hall to do activities on the grass. There were groups sometimes speaking in different languages. Or even out of class, there was a girl speaking to her friend in English as they walked out of the building. All of a sudden the girl went to have another conversation with another girl in French. At the same time, on the other corner there was another group talking in Hindi. But always somehow, conversations ended and students went on talking in English once again with someone other than their own race. Stevenson Hall has the following academic classes: English, foreign languages, math, and philosophy. The many classes that this building has attracts many students from different majors because most of these classes are part of their major requirements.

            Most frequently, bicyclists are seen riding along this open area. These pathways are relatively peaceful. It’s easy for bicyclists to ride around University Hall and Stevenson Hall compare to other parts of the campus. I asked a question to a bicyclist, which was, “why ride a bicycle on campus in the first place?” She replied, “ It depends on your schedule. Almost all of my classes are far apart from each other, so I need to bike to get to class on time.” It’s not like high school, where classes are close together. UIC has expanded their campus over time to allow more professions, so classes are farther apart.

            It’s easy to determine buildings that have been added for the expansion and those that haven’t been touched. For example, from viewing the exterior of Stevenson Hall, one can infer that it’s one of the older buildings that’s built in reinforced concrete. The sun light is reflected by the building’s grimy brown windows, and the brick-built feature makes it look more of a prison cell. As one walks inside the building, the architecture looks out of date. It looks like parts of the exterior walls are inside the building, which creates the feeling of being isolated. The rooms are cavernous due to the windows reflecting the sunlight.

            Oddly, significant architecture changes can be distinguished between buildings like Stevenson Hall and Jackson Hall, which are nearby. As I said earlier, Stevenson Hall is an old building which hasn’t been renovated. In the other hand, Jackson Hall is built more modernly in the inside, in ways such as metal material instead of brick material. The rooms are a bit compacted due to the vast amount of student desks like Stevenson Hall, but the lighting is much better.

            The way that UIC is built gives some sort of confusion to students when they visit their classes. The different types of academic buildings being close to each other gives the opportunity for students to socialize with others in different majors. This connection doesn’t only help UIC students, but it also helps expand UIC’s diverse research institution.