Despite DU’s rather contained campus, there is immense division between those living in Halls and Towers to those living in Johnson-Macfarlane (JMAC), Nelson and Nagel. Two worlds apart that actually never seem to collide. Perhaps it is more attributable to my second-year status rather than my Nelson residency status, but I wandered over to the Halls cafeteria and recognized not a single soul. As a second-year, this was also my first trip over yonder. Their digs are not bad, neither are ours on this side of campus, but the tremendous distance is isolating our students, creating two subcultures of DU. Students should be provided with a centralized arena for cultivating cross-campus integration and engagement.
Though these cultures may not appear all that different in their customs, they are in their perceptions. There even exists playful animosity between the two first-year residencies. A former Halls resident, Caroline Foley, described it as a “subtle rivalry” that manifested in pointless banter. Jesse Daniels, a former JMAC resident, expressed his belief about the cultural differences, “I think JMAC is more community-inclined than Halls.” This statement was reaffirmed by former Halls resident Roy-Michael Harris through his acknowledgement of experiencing less open doors and mingling among neighbors and hallmates. The arrangement of JMAC is more conducive to community, yet some perceived this additional privacy as a benefit of Halls. Nevertheless, the buildings are about as distanced and distinctive as could be and the dining halls are structured differently. As second-years though, many people become integrated as a result of the proximity of Nelson and Nagel.
Is any hall really better than the others? It would appear that all of the residence and dining halls have a similar decency, each with their pros and cons. Students seem to manage regardless. But why create a campus divided, why promote disengagement and division through location. It can be challenging enough to meet people. It appears as if I see the same 50 faces everywhere I go, yet there are hundreds of potential friends seemingly locked away in those distant towers. Though there may be no feasible plan to propose, I would suggest a relocation of dorms given the hypothetical opportunity. Central dining halls or dormitories would enable students to either live in close proximity or require cross contamination of dining service utilization.
The only tangible and most frustrating disparity between the halls is that of the dining options, specifically those available for alternative dietary habits. In Halls, they have been blessed with an allergy fridge bigger than Nelson’s two small fridges combined and in addition, have more variety within the fridge and have a soy-milk dispensary. Though Nelson has been moving in a positive direction, Nagel does not provide the courtesy of listing ingredients. For those of you with dairy allergies, watch out: The tortillas have butter in them.
At the very least let’s give all students an equal opportunity to access these dining privileges. When pursuing a reconfiguration of campus in the future, DU should consider centralizing either the dining or residence halls. Perhaps we should have an inter-hall social, a speed dating across halls to encourage integration and relationship making. Instead of hall against hall, let’s be hall for hall, a campus united.
