As I wrote in the last issue, this is my first semester back at Arcadia in two and a half years. Upon arriving on campus, what I found surprised me.
The castle is still the same, of course (with the addition of the piano from Stiteler, which now makes two pianos in the castle). And so are the Chat, the Commons, and the Dining Hall. However, I found some important changes in the look of the campus that completely threw me off the first time I saw them. Not to say that every change is bad, because it’s not – and I actually enjoy some of them.
Murphy Hall
Alas, the infamous Murphy Hall, home of the Media Department and shared with the Art and Music Departments. The first change I noticed was the repainting of Murphy’s interior walls to all gray, and the addition of the Loco Mag Lounge where a faculty office used to be. I’m impressed with the details inside the lounge, and the orange chair is comfier than I thought.
The Media Department Mac lab is also different than I remembered. The lab lost the big, awkward gray tables and old padded spinner chairs. They were replaced with sleek brown tables and the same chairs from Murphy’s classrooms. The computers are closer together than the last time I used the lab, but I’m impressed with how much bigger the room feels without the big tables. There’s also a whiteboard, which is a nice touch.
Kistler Hall
As I walked into the Financial Aid hallway on the ground floor of Kistler, I was met with an eerie change – a major repainting of the walls from off-white to gray with red accent walls. There are also stickers on the walls of pictures marking campus history. At first, the color was disorienting, (talk about being blindsided!), I’ve gotten used to it since I usually walk through that hallway for my internship in the theater department.
A side note, opening the door at the end of the hall on the right and seeing the Kistler laundry room is super nostalgic for me. I lived in the building for my freshman and junior years and have some *very* fond memories of stepping over puddles of water from the washers to get to my clothes.
The Bookstore
Ah, yes, the Templeton Campus Store. Located in the Dining Hall complex near the Mail-and-Print room, the bookstore has remained in the same place for years but with different options to buy. Lined shelves used to include several options for red or gray Arcadia shirts; these have been replaced with Arcadia shirts in different colors that just *pop* into your eyes. There are also more selections for non-hooded sweatshirts and less hooded ones.
Whew, the classic red hoodie is still there, fortunately. But I do miss the red shirt variety. Additionally, If I could resurrect the red clear water bottle, red Arcadia folder, and thick red Arcadia lanyard with a plastic card holder attached, I would in a heartbeat. No questions asked.
The Library
At first, I thought there were no computers at all in the library. I was in shock, almost enraged. During my first rodeo here, the entire first floor to the left of the main entrance was covered in rows upon rows of computers for student use. Now, the computers have moved to behind the stairs, despite having only half the computers that used to be there. One must enter the library to find displays of books and open tables where the computers used to be.
Additionally, the computers on the ground floor used to be Macs. There was also a station of Windows computers at a table near the Macs. Now, the Windows computer station is gone, and the ones against the wall are now Windows instead of Macs.
I have *actually* fond memories of using those Macs during the spring 2020 semester when my Windows laptop died for good. RIP Landman Library Macs – you will be missed.
