Event 3: North > South / South > North walk

    Recently, I had the opportunity to explore north and south campuses with the goal of understanding the differences between the two.  I did so with my dog Bear (pictured below) and a few close friends of mine.

Bear and I Leaving Campus


    We began our walk on the north side of campus.  I typically reside on north campus, being an economics major.  I was able to take in all the sculptures, the elaborate buildings, and the greenery present everywhere you look.  I believe this style of architecture and design really resonates well with majors pertaining to the arts.  Since this was a weekend trip, I wasn’t able to people watch like I normally do.  However, I am very used to seeing students lounging, relaxing, and taking in the environment.


Bear Exploring North Campus

    As we made our way to the south side of campus, I noticed major changes in the landscape.  I noticed that the south side of campus is much more industrial.  The grass lawns are replaced with concrete structures and man-made courtyards.  I also noticed the buildings have a noticeably different design language.  It seems that the majority of buildings have strayed away from artistic expression and become more functional.  I also noticed that there were noticeably fewer plants and sculptures garnishing the area.


UCLA South Campus Student Center - landLAB | landLAB
UCLA's South Campus

    

After the walk, I noticed that the landscapes have been created in an attempt to cater to the majors residing there.  North campus felt more artistic and south campus felt more intentional.  While I believe there are benefits to this, there are also inherent flaws.  I believe our students would be more well-rounded if all of campus reflected a more cohesive space.  We should invite the arts and sciences to collaborate and innovate in ways we rarely see on college campuses.


Full Route Walked

Works Cited

Jung, Justin. “A Campus Divided | PRIME.” A Campus Divided | PRIME, 2021, prime.dailybruin.com/justinnorth&southcampus.

Haffner, Stella. “The Divide between Art and Science - Montecito.” Montecito, 19 Oct. 2021, www.montecitojournal.net/2021/10/19/the-divide-between-art-and-science/.

‌Lemp, Tim. “Creative Collisions: Crossing the Art-Science Divide - Arts at MIT.” Arts at MIT, 20 Feb. 2024, arts.mit.edu/crossing-the-art-science-divide/.

‌Snow, C P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution ; the Rede Lecture, 1959. Cambridge England, University Press, 1962.

“The Fight between Liberal Arts and STEM Majors — Pop Junctions.” Henry Jenkins, 15 Mar. 2023, henryjenkins.org/blog/2023/3/14/the-fight-between-liberal-arts-and-stem-majors.

LAB, land. UCLA South Campus Student Center, land-lab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/UCLA_SCSC_002.jpg.

‌‌Brandon Nguyen. Bear and I Leaving Campus.

‌Brandon Nguyen. Bear Exploring North Campus.

‌Brandon Nguyen. Full Route Walked.

‌

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