The Shifting Center

For the past few weeks I have felt the center of the University of Utah shift because of the warm weather and because of the new student life center.  It feels like the center was at the Union before, but now it seems like if I were to randomly run into someone it would be at the student life center.  I guess it's a bit too late to change the venue now, and that's okay, but this week I have been surprised at how much I find myself gravitating toward the SLC.  On the other hand, ASUU elections are going on, and people are campaigning all over campus.  It's become clear that having a social gathering space in the Marriott Plaza is still important.  I think the reason all these groups choose to base their outreach at the Marriott Plaza is because of the performing capacity of the library as a social and academic hub.  If we could find some way to bring the blooming social space inside the library into the plaza, I think we would achieve our goal.  I hate to forget that there are other locations on campus that could impact people in a totally new way.  What we are trying to do in Marriott Plaza is extend the social spaces that bubble at its edges, like the library and the union.  However, places on upper campus remain unused and neglected because normal commuter students have no reason to go up there.  As a resident, I understand that great things could happen when classes and residential settings start to mix, but I also understand that there is nothing to draw people to upper campus.  I would say that it's an underutilized space, but I think the university will probably expand its teaching buildings up there in the next ten years or so.  That makes me sad, because almost certainly it will be disruptive to the natural and historic beauty that exists in the area.  I wish there was a way to incorporate learning into the existing structure of Officer's circle and the PHC area.  But yeah, that's all far fetched stuff that isn't really important to the project.