Attending a large university with more than 10,000 students has its advantages.
With more students, faculty and staff around you, there’s a larger alumni network from which to pull, especially come job-search time. This greater level of human capital means more resources, support services, flexibility and, perhaps most important, people to meet and adventures to dive into.
But there is one overlooked aspect of attending a big school. You won’t read it in brochures nor will you hear it on a campus tour. It’s simple, too: walking.
I attend Syracuse University, a private school of about 21,000 students. The campus is fairly large. The benefits of my dormitory’s location were numerous: a 200-step climb to reach my eighth-floor room (a good workout!); beautiful views of the countryside; peace and quiet from the sound of 18-wheelers on Interstate 81; and a mile walk to class every morning.
The latter is perhaps the best. On my way to class every morning, I walk through the heartbeat of campus. It is this walk that helps me stay aware of the beauty of history and all that is around me.
Down the steps I go, at the base of Carnegie Library, a five-story, pillared building dating to 1905 with beautiful steps in the front. The steps lead to the Quad, which houses the Jefferson Memorial-esque Hendricks Chapel, chemistry building and Ernie Davis statue. Not far from sight is the architecture building, which is, yes, a nice piece of architecture.
Then comes the Hall of Languages, also known as the place where visitors take their photos. Built in 1873, it stands high, overlooking the city of Syracuse and the northern half of campus.
Below that, I pass by the Wall of Remembrance, a platform honoring the 35 Syracuse University students who died in the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 terrorist attack. Walking by this powerful place reminds me there were kids my age who lost everything in the blink of an eye.
I then look left to pass my favorite part of Syracuse, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a series of three buildings.
First, I see the 1964-built Newhouse I, a recipient of awards from the American Institute of Architects. That same year, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered his famous “Gulf of Tonkin Speech” on the Newhouse Plaza.
Newhouse I connects to Newhouse 2, a bleak, 1970s-style brown frame, and Newhouse 3, a modern beauty. Oprah Winfrey spoke there a couple years back.
In one word, the Newhouse system, and Syracuse as a whole, is eclectic — in its architecture, ideas and personnel.
Moments later, I cross University Place before approaching the glass doors of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. There, I take out my notebook and class begins.
Lesson learned: Embrace every aspect of life at a big school, including your walks.
Matthew Gutierrez, a former Post-Gazette intern, is a sophomore at Syracuse University with a dual major in management and journalism.
First Published: October 6, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
