Hello Campus, We've Missed You!

College of Arts & Sciences faculty, staff, and students will return to the UW’s Seattle campus in September after the long COVID hiatus. When asked what campus place they’ve missed the most, the libraries got plenty of love. The gorgeous surroundings also earned high marks. Here are some of their favorite campus spots.

Spectacular Surroundings

The Quad

Mercedes Luna (BA, 2014)
Advancement and Outreach Officer, Department of Psychology

I love walking through the Quad, any time of the year! My earliest visit was to see the cherry blossoms as a child, then running to class as an undergrad and doing my engagement photos with my now husband. We chose to do photos at the UW because that’s where we met as undergrads. I love looking back at the photos and remembering this special day and the earlier years of our relationship. 

South Campus Waterfront

Adrian KC Lee
Professor and Chair, Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences

I like to go to the lawn on the waterfront behind the Portage Bay Building for some quiet reflection time. My lab (at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences) and many of my collaborators are situated in that part of campus. That view reminds me of Sydney where I grew up and nothing beats that refreshing breeze coming from the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

Sakuma Viewpoint/Views of Portage Bay

Yasmin Ahmed (BA, 2018)
Assistant Director of Student & Community Engagement, Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies
Graduate Student, Geography

The view of Portage Bay that stretches from Sakuma Viewpoint through South Campus will always be a special one to me. As an undergraduate, I walked along that path to carve some mental space for myself. Now, as a staff member and graduate student at the UW, I still do.

Campus Landscaping

Christina Sunardi
Chair, Department of Dance
Adelaide D. Currie Cole Endowed Professor, Music

Something that is special to me is the landscaping of the UW Seattle campus.  I especially cherish the fragrance of the sweet box bushes near the Music Building in winter quarter, the shade provided by our many gorgeous trees across the campus, the drama of the cherry blossoms, and the beauty of the changes with each season.

A Sense of Community

15th Avenue NE Pedestrian Overpass

Anu Taranath
Teaching Professor, English and Comparative History of Ideas

One of my favorite UW pastimes is to stand on the overpass overlooking 15th Avenue suspended between the Henry Art Gallery and Schmitz Hall. I love the bustle of people around me, and often think of the overpass as a symbol of bridging campus and community collaborations. 

Art Building Basement

Megan Matti
Sophomore, Sociology, Communication

One of the coolest spaces on campus is the basement of the Art Building, where Parnassus café and the art lockers are. It feels like a mini gallery and a glimpse into a variety of different artists’ work from what they choose to display on their lockers. And the Jacob Lawrence Gallery, also in that building, has some really cool exhibits.

Campus Cafes

Nicole Wentworth
Junior, Geography, Environmental Studies

My favorite place on campus is either Parnassus café or By George — I’m so ready to eat bagels and do my homework in those places again! Social distancing has made me realize how much I love social gatherings and talking to strangers. I’m also looking forward to having deeper connections with my professors and working with people in person.

Library Love

Suzzallo Library

Ellwood Wiggins
Associate Professor, German Studies

I can't wait to get back inside the library!  It's been awful to be barred from physical books: the tools of my trade but also sources of curiosity and joy. I miss the space of the library, too: the hushed sense of being surrounded by people focusing together in the same place but on radically different windows to entirely separate worlds.

UW LIbraries Special Collections

Tami Hohn
Assistant Teaching Professor, American Indian Studies

Although I miss being in the American Indian Studies offices, I truly look forward to being in the midst of the UW Libraries Special Collections again. Historical documents, items, and photographs continually teach me about our local history and connect me further into my past. It feels peaceful there and every worker is kind and helpful.

"Brutalist" Odegaard Library

Juan Torres
Senior, Biology

My favorite place on campus is the uncharming, unattractive, and brutalist Odegaard Library. It is the only place on campus open 24 hours, which has lent itself to many meaningful memories. Between studying for weed-out classes and chugging Redbulls at six in the morning, Odegaard has provided me with reliability and hospitality no other places on campus have.

Another Fan of Odegaard

Betsaida Rodriguez
Senior, Anthropology

I'm looking forward to studying in the libraries again, especially Odegaard library. It's a great study spot for those who like a more social, but still chill, study environment!

Suzzallo Reading Room

Conor Mayo-Wilson
Associate Professor, Philosophy

I miss the inside of the libraries.  I miss being able to walk through the stacks and sit down in the grand reading room in Suzzallo to do a bit of work.  Being in a library, surrounded by aisles of books stacked to the ceiling, is simultaneously humbling and inspiring.  

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Missing campus but can't visit in person? Take the College of Arts and Sciences' virtual tour.