We’ve all had those moments walking around Ithaca College’s campus — that out of breath feeling when you finally make it all the way to your terrace or up the steps to Towers Dining Hall or the awe in the winter when it’s FINALLY not snowing for an hour. Whether you’re a freshman or a grad student, you can all relate to some of the things we feel when walking around the giant hill that is our campus.
1. Walking past the Textor ball wondering why someone would ever put it there.
I know when I took my first campus tour back in high school that this piece of “art” confused me. What is it? What is it supposed to be? Why is it even there? After extensive research, I have unearthed the mystery that is this circular sculpture. The artist, Jack Squier, actually called his work “The Disk.” Sorry Jack, but it really doesn’t look like a disk, and we students are going to continue calling it other names for as long as this school is around.
2. Wow, the fountains are so pretty. Too bad we can only enjoy them for two months during the school year.
As we all know, winter comes very soon in Ithaca. The fountains are only turned on in the summer months towards the end of May and are turned off somewhere in October when it begins to get too cold. Take your Instagrams now, ladies and gentlemen, because you won’t have much time once the long and dark winter engulfs us here up on South Hill.
3. I better have the nicest calves in the world after walking up all these stairs/hills every day.
As an (unfortunate) resident of Terrace 12, I walk up SO many stairs a day. I walk up so many stairs a day that I try and justify skipping the gym with all the leg workouts I get from these hills. I try to stay down on campus as long as possible before walking up what seems like thousands of steps back to my room all the way in East Asia to save myself from the torture. Even the trek to Towers or Terraces Dining Hall can put a toll on your life and lungs, and not a day goes by where an Ithaca College student doesn’t complain about it.
4. I’d like to thank not only God but Jesus for the tunnel connecting Campus Center all the way to Peggy Ryan Williams.
Ithaca is known for their harsh winters and constant snow, so whichever architect decided to connect all these building together is seriously an angelic human being who deserves endless Moe’s burritos and hugs. Not a freezing wintery day goes by where I don’t silently thank this wonderful person for saving us students from frostbite and seasonal affective disorder with this passageway that goes almost all the way across campus.
5. Where am I supposed to park???
There are many parking lots on campus, but they always seem to be filled up, especially during class time. Trying to park in front of Campus Center? Not gonna happen. Trying to park in the parking lot next to the business school? NOPE think again. Every parking lot remotely close to any academic buildings is a waste of time to even attempt parking in. Your best bet is parking all the way up at Terraces, but even that parking lot fills up rapidly, and you usually have to circle it a few times to find a spot.
6. OMG that person is in my class … *Keeps head down while looking interested at phone.* PHEW! That was a close one.
Since Ithaca does not have a large campus, you’re going to see a lot of people who you kind of know, but aren’t on speaking terms with. Especially if that person is in your class, but you’ve never actually done anything more than make bored eye contact with them across the room. Our only option, so we don’t have to say hi to them awkwardly, is to open up our phones and pretend to be fully immersed in literally nothing.
7. Why are all these people carrying nerf guns and shooting at each other? Someone send help
We’ve all seen them, and we’ve all been utterly dumbfounded by them. A bunch of students with different colored bandanas shooting Nerf guns at each other disrupting your walk to class. I’ve been panicked many times when a pack of them is running straight towards me. Who are these people? What are they even doing? PLEASE don’t hit me OMG! These warriors are none other than the Humans vs. Zombies club. These people ACTUALLY compete in competitions with other colleges and dedicate their precious time to hunting each other down by pelting one another with Nerf guns.
8. Oooooh I saw them up on third floor this weekend. Whoa, they look so different with their eyes open!
Just like passing people who are in your classes, you’ll see tons of people that you saw out this weekend. Even if you vaguely remember seeing them, you’ll recognize some of those who made a lasting impression like that person dancing outrageously on third floor or the one who did the minute-long keg stand at the football house. You won’t go one walk to class without seeing someone you met or recognize from parties or a night out, and we pray they don’t remember us as much as we don’t remember them.
9. Oh look a barefoot person … and another one … and another one …
Ithaca has been ranked the No. 7 hippie town in America, and boy does our campus show it. People here are all about the environment and love to get as close to it as possible, whether it’s foot to ground our entire body to the ground. You’ll see barefoot people lounging on the academic quad and anywhere else green when it’s nice out, but let’s hope they’re not too brave when winter comes around.
10. Is that person asleep?
When it's nice out, many people hang out on the grass around campus. This is a great place to just sit or study with friends because of the trees that give you shade during the disgusting heat at the beginning of the year. Not only do people chill on the grass to study, but I've had my fair share of seeing people passed out facedown on the grass. I get it, your 8 a.m. was tough. I wish I could fall asleep as well as you, quad sleeper, but sadly I must trek all the way up to my dorm to get my afternoon nap.
All photographs taken by Marisa Pittarelli
