Opinion writer Anna San Miguel discusses the positive consequences of Loyola’s campus plan while writer Eleni Dutta delves into the negative effects it may have on the community.
Opinion writer Anna San Miguel discusses the positive consequences of Loyola’s campus plan while writer Eleni Dutta delves into the negative effects it may have on the community.
Opinion writer Anna San Miguel discusses the positive consequences of Loyola’s campus plan while writer Eleni Dutta delves into the negative effects it may have on the community.
Without a doubt, Loyola’s dedication to both its students and surrounding community should be integral to campus planning. Rogers Park is a key part of the culture surrounding the university and its students.
We owe it to the community to keep them in mind as Loyola grows and prospers. Following through and delivering on its anchor mission should absolutely remain a priority in future endeavors in order to promise this.
The anchor mission strives to support the community around Loyola and work in tandem to create a Rogers Park which suits the needs of both students and long term residents. Nevertheless, it seems Loyola hasn’t followed through on many of the promises made.
Recent years have seen Loyola acquiring more and more of Rogers Park and effectively pushing out long term residents who make up the community they claim to value.
However, disappointment in this regard doesn’t make the campus plan entirely worthless.
Campion Hall, for instance, is undergoing demolition to give way to a building dedicated to Loyola’s nursing program, along with new spaces for forensics, chemistry and biochemistry.
The growth exhibited by these programs is promising, with the nursing program predicting a two times increase in admittance by 2028. Additionally, the forensic science program has seen constant growth since the program’s conception in 2006 and has been fully accredited by the Forensic Educations Programs Accreditation Commission for several years.
Seeing the success these programs have had in providing in-depth educational experiences for their students surely justifies a space for them to fully immerse students into their fields and studies.
Campion has served Loyola students since 1954. Through its ongoing demolition the Campus Plan allows for it to continue to do so without further impeding Rogers Park. Repurposing an old building is a much better way to create new spaces for students rather than forcing the university upon the neighborhood.
Creating community spaces for students is vital, labs and new equipment could do as much good.
Careers in healthcare and science greatly depend on on-site competency and being well versed in various equipment. These programs are significantly valued because they have successfully prepared students to encounter these situations. Moving into a space where they will have more access to these instruments will only benefit them.
The Loyola student community won’t be entirely neglected. Work and study spaces will be included within the building, allowing for students with similar interests to come together.
Ultimately, two truths can exist at once. The campus plan is by no means perfect, but it can’t be dismissed as completely pointless. If Loyola were to continue to find creative ways to use older buildings, like Campion, while refocusing on its promise to Rogers Park, perhaps the campus plan could meet both the needs of the students and surrounding community.
The need for academic buildings speaks to Loyola’s success, increasing student body and academic prowess. While ethically maintaining both things, change is possible for students and Rogers Park residents to co-exist economically.
The beauty of Loyola’s Lakeshore campus is the integral centerpiece of the university’s appeal. However, judging by the latest revisions of its expansion plan, the architectural welfare of the campus may risk turning into a detriment for the neighborhood.
The 10-year campus plan is two years into its undertaking, and the new suggestions made by the committee on September 4th were nothing short of disappointing.
Key suggestions include a green space, a new nursing building, a library storage with a reading room and an abstract concept of a student success center. Given these suggestions, the plan prioritizes constructing arid academic buildings, overlooking key community centers and undermining the campus’s sense of place within the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Rogers Park already manifests appeal. The lakefront is Loyola’s natural crown, with Sheridan Road and Devon Avenue providing countless opportunities for students and residents to coalesce.
The neighborhood houses countless century-old historic buildings, many of which students and non-Loyola residents call home. The Glenwood Arts District and Sheridan Road is alive with neighborhood energy.
Yet somehow, campus planning manages to flatten all that into bland, boxy architecture which could belong to any mid-tier university in the Midwest.
Campus design shapes campus culture. As an urban university, Loyola already struggles to build a collective community compared to their respective counterparts. As students scatter to their respective jobs, internships and commutes, they at least deserve spaces that cater to camaraderie.
As a Jesuit institution Loyola has an even bigger opportunity to embrace urban beauty. Catholic inspired gothic arches, student run cafes and intentional design could give the university an identity. Where are the performance venues, quirky lounges or community hubs that could connect students to Rogers Park?
Other Chicago schools relish in their neighborhood’s unique characteristics. Northwestern University leans on Evanston’s tranquility, DePaul University embraces Lincoln Park’s vibrant commercial scene and University of Chicago’s emphasizes Hyde Park’s historic architecture reminiscent of Hogwarts.
Loyola utilizes Roger’s Park’s strong sense of community to enhance its student experience. It would be ungrateful for the university to ignore residents’ desires to maintain the neighborhood’s identity after already displacing numerous businesses and tenants.
Despite gorgeous architectural feats of older buildings such as Cudahy, Mundeline, and — of course — the Madonna della Strata Chapel, Loyola’s new plan refuses to make a statement.
Expansion is necessary. Classrooms, labs and student housing are essential, but there is a missed opportunity for growth without imagination. If Loyola really wants to set itself apart, it needs more than simply square footage.
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