Let There Be Quad
Our long awaited UMass Boston quad is finally (almost) here! Is the result worth the loooooong wait? Look inside and see.
Genesis 1, UMass Boston version:
In the beginning there was the old science building. After its demolition the campus was without form, and void; and chaos and rubble was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of our Leaders moved upon the face of the waters; And our Leaders said “Let there be quad”. And there was quad.
Contrary to their belief, our Leaders are not God, so it took several years instead of an instant. But it’s finally happening - the long anticipated new quad is finally about to open, although they say the full, really-real for real opening will be next year (read: in five years).
After suffering through years of navigating a campus that:
Looked like a construction site.
Had limited access to and from most buildings.
Had steep, uneven and narrow paths that were full of debris and were catastrophically unfriendly to people with disabilities, or anyone else for that matter…
And after years of hype and promises by our Leaders that very soon, just a couple more weeks, we will have a “stunning new quad” (their words, not ours), we expected something AT LEAST as pretty as this:
Maybe with some some golden statues too - one for each year of waiting.
Instead, we’re getting this:
Yeah, we know. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and maybe when spring comes it will look a little greener, and we do have a nice view of the harbor, but you can’t blame us for finding the result a bit… meh. On the other hand, we shouldn’t be surprised, considering that our Leaders’ performance on pretty much all other issues left us disappointed, to say the least.
We are not the only ones who find the new quad underwhelming. Our student newspaper also reveals that the steep paths and sharp angles are not very disabled-friendly (unless you’re one of those wheelchair skateboarding guys) because, you know, health promoting and stuff. As a bonus, there are already some structural flaws popping up. And the thing is not even fully open yet!
Kudos to our Leaders who, once again, showed us that they are good at one thing: Screwing up each and every task that comes their way.
Dear Mr. Beacon: Perhaps you can do something with this limerick by Robert Knox:
God in the Quad.
There was a young man who said "God
Must find it exceedingly odd
To think that the tree
Should continue to be
When there's no one about in the quad."
Reply:
"Dear Sir: Your astonishment's odd;
I am always about in the quad.
And that's why the tree
Will continue to be
Since observed by, Yours faithfully, God."
The Quad, brought to you by the USSR’s geniuses of Brutalism.
Seems quite appropriate actually.