Campus
From CarlWiki
Carleton College's campus is a mix of the modern and the natural, a sparse, pedestrian-friendly campus with a large number of trees. Home to nine dorms, twelve academic buildings, and countless houses and other buildings, it is surrounded on the south by the small town of Northfield, MN and on the north by the vast natural preserve known as Cowling Arboretum. The campus is small enough that one can walk from any class to another within the ten minute allotted by Carleton's schedule.
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Features
Trees
Carleton's campus is notable for its vast number of trees, both evergreen and deciduous, spanning from the fully-forested arb throughout even the most dense areas. From any point on the campus, trees can be seen in all directions. This often makes photography of the campus difficult: Some buildings are obscured by trees from all angles.
During warm, sunny days, classes (particularly small discussion-based classes in the humanities) are commonly held in the shade of trees.
Parking
Like many colleges, Carleton has a stringent Motor Vehicle Policy that students who bring cars must follow. Students are discouraged from bringing vehicles unless necessary, primarily because there is too little parking on campus to accomodate them and, out of respect for town residents, students are not allowed to park off-campus for extended periods.
The upside to this policy is that unlike some campuses, Carleton's has very few parking lots, making it more aesthetically pleasing. Much of the parking is placed on the outskirts of campus, such as the large lot by Goodhue Hall. Furthermore, very few roads run through campus: A student who does not leave campus could easily only cross one road during the term, namely the one between the Bald Spot and Sayles-Hill.
Geography
The Bald Spot
- Main article: Bald Spot
Locations are usually defined in terms of their location relative to the Bald Spot, a spacious quad in front of the Sayles-Hill Campus Center that serves as the effective campus center. East of the Bald Spot is a cluster of academic buildings, and still further is what is called the East Side. Just to the west of the Bald Spot is Sayles-Hill and the dorms that comprise the West Side. North of it is Gould Library, and south of it is Skinner Chapel.
When the weather reaches the freezing point, the Bald Spot is cordoned off to form an ice rink, used primarily for broomball.
West Side
There are four dorms west of the Bald Spot: Burton, Davis, Severance ("Sevy"), and Musser. Burton, Davis, and Sevy are located right next to the Bald Spot and are interconnected, forming "the Complex," along with Sayles-Hill Campus Center. In the Burton basement is Burton Dining Hall, occassionally called "West Dining Hall" to distinguish it from the East Dining Hall. Rooms in the Complex are prized for their interconnectedness. During the winter, students in the Complex can eat and check their mail without going outside. Some even enjoy classes in Upper Sayles.
Southwest of these dorms are a string of town houses on a road leading to Division Street.
East Side
There are five dorms east of the Bald Spot: Nourse, Myers, Evans, Watson, and Goodhue. Goodhue is isolated from the rest of the campus by a five-minute walk north across the Lyman Lakes. The only buildings near Goodhue are the Recreation Center and the Farm and Parr houses.
Between Myers and Nourse is the Language and Dining Center (LDC), in which the East Dining Hall is located, and where all language courses are taught. A small grassy hill in front of the LDC is called the Mini Bald Spot, and is one of the most popular locations on campus for playing frisbee.
Many of the structures on the East Side are relatively new. Although Nourse and Evans are old, Goodhue and Watson are two of the newest dorms, and the LDC is one of the newest academic buildings.
Cowling Arboretum
- Main article: Cowling Arboretum
Located to the north of the campus is Cowling Arboretum, more commonly called "the Arb," a vast wilderness area owned by the college and monitored by the Biology Department. Students frequently wander through the Arb on meandering pedestrian paths.
Residential area
To the south of the campus are a large number of houses, mostly owned by residents of Northfield, but several purchased by the college (or in the case of some, such as Dacie Moses House, donated to it). Those in which students live are known as town houses. Others are used as office buildings by the college, or for visitors, as is Alumni Guest House.
Perhaps the most interesting town houses are the interest houses, such as Culinary House, Sci-Fi House, and Parish House (the "Language House"). These are used not only to house students but also to host events related to the house's theme.
Weather
Minnesota has extremely varied weather, with sub-zero temperatures for much of the winter to 90-degree plus (Fahrenheit) temperatures in the summer. Carleton students, especially those from milder climes such as California, are fond of complaining about the weather frequently, but generally adapt to it quickly. All buildings on campus are kept warm during the winter, and all academic buildings and other facilities (as well as Severance Hall) are kept air-conditioned during the summer.
Snow
The campus may experience snow from the last few weeks of Fall Term through the early days of Spring Term. In general, students enjoy the snow, and campus shutdowns due to extreme weather are very rare, occurring only once or twice per decade. The sidewalks are kept clear of snow and ice through the use of light snowplows.
In the past, an underground tunnel system was available to students for moving from one building to another during the winter, but these have been locked since 1988 due to safety concerns. They are still used by Facilities personnel, and the tunnel connecting Nourse Hall and Watson Hall has been open to students on special occassions in recent years.
External links
- Campus map - Low-resolution JPEG
- Campus map - Detailed high-resolution PDF
