Serena Morris
Connector Contributor
One feature of UMass Lowell that sets it apart from most other universities is its multiple academic campuses. The two campuses allow students to be exposed to a variety of environments and experiences, but students say the division may make it harder to form a cohesive campus community.
North Campus, home to the engineering, science and business departments, is known for its compact, industrial design, with tunnels connecting nearly every building. South, home to the humanities, is far more open and nature-centered. The two campuses are about a mile and a half apart, meaning most students have to commute by bus to travel between them.
While the school’s two campuses have been connected for over 50 years, some feel that the students are still divided to this day. “Honestly, all the campuses feel like a totally separate community. I mean, yeah it’s the same school, but it doesn’t feel like it,” sophomore environmental science major Gabriella Powell says.
Ella Glass, a sophomore engineering physics major, argues that this feeling of division is due not to the physical distance, but the people. “Students make a big deal about it. The idea that the campuses are very different is sort of like, baked into the culture,” Glass says.
It’s not only the students who reflect this tension, either. “Even the professors know about it. My engineering ethics professor says that South Campus people joke that North Campus people are just walking calculators,” Glass says.
Others say this divide is often blown out of proportion. Sarah Rine, director of the Office of Student Life and Involvement, feels the community is more unified than people sometimes think. “Not everyone only goes to North or only goes to South. I think it’s more about highlighting the benefits of both campuses and helping students to be exposed to each campus and the benefits and the differences it brings,” she says.
While it’s apparent that many see the campuses as having different vibes, there’s debate on what each campuses’ vibe truly is. “South Campus has a lot of interesting people,” Powell says. “You’ll see clubs on the lawn meet late at night, or just people chilling on the lawn chairs. So, the atmosphere and vibe is a lot better because you’ll see people out more than North.”
Others’ conceptions as to which campus is more social are flipped. “Personally, I do not leave South Campus,” says political science major Adriana Adrien. “But I’ve heard from other people that Fox and the residence halls near there, they’re more inclusive and they’re more of a community, rather than when we’re at South, people are more by themselves.”
While it’s clear there are differences in atmosphere, some feel that may not be a bad thing. “I think it’s okay to have differences and have different energy or different experiences across campus,” Rine says. “I think if it was just one same thing all the time, that maybe students would actually get a little bored.”
While this divide between STEM and humanities majors exists at nearly all colleges, others feel the physical separation between UML’s campuses may exacerbate it. “The transportation options between the campuses aren’t great, people who only have classes on one campus tend to mostly like, seclude themselves to the campus they have classes on, and barely interact with one another,” says industrial engineering major Maddie Smith.
Powell, who lives on South Campus, agrees that the transportation plays a major factor: “It comes down to how far they are to each other. I feel like I’m commuting to go to classes. Waiting for the bus and taking like, 30 minutes to go to class, I feel like one of them, even though I dorm,” she said.
With transportation so difficult at times, students can struggle to feel any interest in exploring the other campuses. “I don’t think I would ever go to North if I didn’t have classes,” Powell says. “People aren’t really at North besides classes. Like, I would never meet up with friends there unless we’re waiting in between classes.”
Students may be able to feel more connected to the entire community if they take time to explore the area. “I encourage people to remember that campus isn’t just North and South, but that there’s University crossing and East Campus, and then the Tsongas Center and also to go and explore downtown or explore the neighborhoods adjacent to campus,” Rine says.
Rine said she believes exploring campus is vital to developing the school’s sense of connection. “I would never want a student to think it’s only where their academic classes happen, but we have so much more to offer them, and their participation in it will help us build the community,” she said.
