Written by Sudarshan Gopaladesikan
To be blunt, Swarthmore’s generous endowment makes for an undisputedly beautiful campus. Sometimes students say they feel like they’re walking through a five-star resort in the English countryside instead of a liberal arts college in suburban Philadelphia. The campus is home to the Scott Arboretum, whose employees are constantly working on the upkeep of the carefully manicured landscaping around campus. The College seems to do a good job of utilizing the architecture of the campus buildings, which adds to the beauty of the campus.
A lot has changed in the past few years, including the widening of Clothier Field Stadium to accommodate lacrosse, field hockey, and soccer; the addition of new artificial turf with a base designed to prevent the field from flooding; and the construction of floodlights that will not disturb wildlife in the nearby Crum Woods. Parrish Hall, the official student center, and the most widely used facility, Mullan Tennis Center, have both been renovated. The other places to hang out on campus—Kohlberg Coffee Bar, the new Science Center Beverage Lab, and Tarble—are decent. The main complaint from students is the need for additional campus dining space, but the College continues to adhere to its “Quaker tradition”—a phrase that the administration uses frequently—and insists that there be only one major dining hall on campus. At busy times, Sharples Dining Hall, can be overwhelmed with students, many of whom are tired of eating the same food in the same place every day. However, considering its size, Swarthmore’s facilities are decent and undeniably pleasant to look at, if not always the most functional.