Field Work: Back to Hell AGAIN!

What is the center of Columbia College Chicago? Is it the administrative office on 600 E. Michigan, or the portfolio center of 623 S. Wabash. However, one area always remained a hub of activity, no matter if classes were going on, or the debauchery taking place at night. This place is none other than “The University Center.”

I mean, we can get into the technicalities of why this is the center of Columbia College Chicago. It has the word center in the name; it is only steps away from true attractions of the city, such as Harold Washington and Grant Park; and the close proximity to the Harrison Red Line eL stop makes it hard to miss.

I've lived in the U.C. and I almost never return to this place after living here for a full school year. It's like the high school I used to go to across the street, a distant part of my past. Too bad the places really don't change all that much. A conglomerate of cliques rule this roost, from the plad-dressed hipsters withtheir hats tilted to the side and their graphic tees, shamelessly self-promoting the most obscure brands of our time, to the variety of ethnicities that stick together: Asian circles and African-Americans hanging out in groups of threes and fours, punk-rock Hispanic guys hanging with a collection of hipster and urban styles.

Wait a minute, this is not the U.C. I lived in before...this is a more advanced version of a high school cafeteria. There is something that seems forced here, but where else do you see the true essence of college, at the beginning of it all. Now, I may have come on a wrong day, or maybe the University Center simply kicked out all the bad seeds and now they are left with the rest, because that was the case when I lived there.

However, what makes this particular spot the center of Columbia College is the fact that this is where three rival city colleges/universities come to live when they leave hom, making this building a place of collaborative effort. I believe in keeping your friends close, but keep your enemies closer, because eventually, you can learn a thing or two.

Here, students begin to understand the value of responsibility and consequence, and through their ups and downs, they figure out who they truly are and what they want to do with their lives. In the midst of it all, there are so many events that are taking place all the time: musical and theater outings, karaoke, video game nights, and so much more. This is the place where connections are made and frienships are forged.

Let's not forget the usefulness of having conference rooms, a decent cafeteria and a 3rd floor terrece to impress investors, partners and innovators alike. Columbia is surely learning this, as they buy and expand their campus quite often. Columbia College really doesn't need bundles of buildings to choose from: they need a landmark. Something worthy enough to impress those who may or may not invest their time and money in their education or life.