Living on Central Campus has it perks. Yes, it means waking up at 8:59am and still making it to 9am class ten minutes later. It means short walks to the library and quick jaunts downtown, where it’s almost impossible to settle on one good place to eat. Living on Central makes running errands a lot easier, but perhaps Central Campus students are biased when talking about the ever so illusive “North” Campus.
I admit, for a while I was North weary. I fed into the social stigma attached to living on North by believing rumors about “depressingly boxy rooms” and “crummy dining halls”-all surrounded by a sea of nothingness. Given the chance to visit my Bursley/Baites friends, whose North antics only reinforced these speculations, I often declined the invitation.
Looking back, I imagine I grew accustom to my life on Central and simply couldn’t stand the thought of venturing from my bubble. I avoided North at all costs in hopes of saving myself long waits at the bus stop and getting lost. A semester later, realizing the “Nothing on North” myth to be false, I came to the conclusion that the “other” University Campus holds gems of its own.
The campus houses creative minds alike. The School of Art & Design, Architecture + Urban Planning, Music, Theater, & Dance, and the School of engineering produce artists and lofty works of art, music, acting, dance, and ingenuity. Great artwork, no matter the medium, takes people by surprise. To avoid recycled ideas, University students raise the bar take their creations to new heights, literally.
A mystery student recreated a scene from Disney’s “UP” Monday. Attached to the pinnacle of the North Bell Tower were thousands of multicolored balloons faceted together with string. It was every kid’s childhood dream come true.
Yesterday was one of those crazy days where everything was due: seventeen pages of writing for a Creative Writing portfolio, an exam in The History of Photography, and after being locked away in the Bursley basement of the Living Arts room for a four hour critique, I scurried to catch a bus back to Central. Walking to the stop, I noted a giant bundle of balloons from the corner of my eye. All I could think was “what on earth is that?” With my camera in hand, I ventured off the beaten path for a closer look. Drawn to the bright colors and pure size of the installation, all I could do was look UP.
Getting lost in the hustle and bustle of college life is inevitable. It’s easy to forget the importance of taking notice of life’s little joys and discovering new places. Beauty comes in unexpected packages and at unexpected times. Mystery artist, I’ll call them “Mr. or Mrs. Fredricksen,” delivered an unforgettable gift. Whether the project is a random act of kindness or deliberate, the project colored what would have otherwise been an ugly day. Like North Campus, life can be understated and unappreciated. I encourage readers, especially those who’ve never been, to make the journey and see North for themselves. The so-called abyss unexpectedly taught me to appreciate the little things in life. I’d hate to burst anyone’s bubble but FYI, these balloons prove North to be one giant thumbs UP.
Well this will certainly make me look UP more often!