Apparently some classes are being canceled in the fall due to the pandemic, but others are being taken care of on Zoom calls? It would be unfortunate for a student at the University of Toledo to have to miss out on campus life because of home-learning or being forced to take a year off. You have to be there in person to experience the greatest of the university.
I'm a Junior now and I've been living on campus every year. It's not just the daytime, filled with people, that makes the campus so nice. It's also the alone time: the things you'll see that amaze you, even when no one you know is around.
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1. A Falcon Lives in the Bell Tower
Our rivals are the Bowling Green Falcons but we're the ones who have a ginormous falcon nesting at the top of the gorgeous bell tower. If you go out in the morning, you'll probably see her chasing smaller birds around the building.
2. You Can Use the Creek Bridges as Trampolines
Have you ever known you were in a small earthquake because you got dizzy and wanted to fall over? If you go to one of the Ottawa Creek Bridges overnight, preferably when no one else is there, you can jump up and down in the middle of the cement and it'll sway up and down by nearly half a foot.
3. The Greenhouse Glows Gold
It's the best in the nighttime of the winter because, often, the sky is purple. The glow is fire orange.
4. Our Librarians Set Up a New Literature Stand Every Month
Every month is a national something or other. At the front of the library lobby, the librarians pick out books for each month's theme (Native American appreciation, National Writing Month, etc.) and set them up on an attractive display for people to pick up and check out. When a hole opens up on the shelf, they fill it with another book waiting in their reserves.
5. The Honors Dorms Feel Like Hogwarts
Every time I gave someone a tour of MacKinnon, Tucker, or Scott, they said it looked like Hogwarts. It's all beige walls and wooden doorframes that arch into peaks. The dorm floors are wood and the windows are antique, square-sectioned pieces.
6. There's Always Free Coffee in MacKinnon
If you walk into MacKinnon basement during business hours over the week, you'll find a little lounge with an espresso machine. The table is assorted with creamers and sugars. Serve yourself!
7. The Rec Has Free Specialized Classes Every Morning
At first, I thought the Recreational Center was just for solo running, swimming, and lifting. It turns out there are workers who run students through free yoga or cycling classes every weekday.
8. University Hall is Probably Haunted
It doesn't sound like the most entertaining thing when you first hear it, but I'd like to remind you that our University Hall has six floors, none of which are connected by one staircase and there are ladders in the walls blocked off to keep people from wandering into the sandpit, maze underground. We also have cubbies that lead to weird interrogation-looking rooms and retired rooms that are being used for absolutely nothing.
9. We Have the Most Stylish Literary Magazine Around
I've been working at The Mill: Literary Magazine every year now. It wasn't until the end of my Sophomore year that I realized our graphic design team does a better job than most independent printings. Like, the magazines look GREAT. Read a copy at: http://themillmagazine.blogspot.com/
10. Someone is Always Hosting an Event In Libbey Hall
Last year, we had the head of the Toledo Orchestra speak and the year before that we had one of our favorite professors give a presentation on how much she hates Disney princesses. I also went to an event earlier this year with a professor reading poetry about her life as a descendent of Jewish parents who lived through the Holocaust.
11. The Student Union is a Costco of Free Samples
If you walk through the main floor Monday through Thursday, someone's always going to be selling you something with free pens, cupcakes, and roses to take home just for saying hello.
12. We Swap Out the Artwork Every Year
Most campuses have permanent art on their grounds, which is cool and all. The University of Toledo displays sculptures from local artists for a calendar year and then, at the end of every summer, they're sold to make room for new ones. It keeps every year fresh!
