Dear Editor,
This past winter one of my fondest college memories routinely took place in the Culp Center.
Early in the morning, about an hour before class, I would find a comfortable spot in the Culp to drink a hot chai latte and relax before the busy day ahead. The atmosphere was always calming and full of the latent energy of a new day. It is little things like this that make life less mundane.
However, that memory is now a thing of the past. While walking through the building a week or two ago I was accosted by the glow of hundreds of brand new white-hot fluorescent lights. Apparently the “sterile hospital” look is in.
I once saw the Culp as a mellow place to relax in a subdued atmosphere. However, that refuge has been replaced by a building that now resembles a NASA clean room or a second-rate disinfectant lab.
At first I didn’t mind the changes. The post office could use some adequate lighting, but when they moved into the sacred domain that is the third floor seating area in front of Main Meal … well, that’s just crossing the line.
I’m all for renovating basic utilities on campus, but it appears the planners could use some aesthetic sensibility.
When I’m drinking coffee in the morning I don’t want to be illuminated by lighting reminiscent of a tanning bed.
Sean Cannon

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