Written by Lauren Toppenberg
The Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life is one of Tulane’s newest and nicest buildings. Fully equipped, the LBC is not only a great facility in terms of its environmentally friendly structure (it has water walls for cooling, windows to maximize natural illumination, electric lights within the building which automatically adjust depending on the amount of outside light, wave fans in the dining room, solar vents on the interior, and sun shading louvers on the exterior)—it also has great functionality. Housing a Barnes & Noble bookstore, a food court with Taco Bell, Einstein Brothers, and WOW Chicken, a FedEx, a salon and barbershop, a Whitney bank, and a plethora of study areas and conference rooms, the LBC is every Tulane student’s one-stop shop.
Bruff Commons and Howard Tilton Library are older and more dated buildings that hopefully will be remodeled in the near future. Some residence halls (especially those for freshmen) and other buildings are also in obvious need of renovations, but the university seems to be continually improving its facilities. Most buildings on campus, especially in the academic quad, are beautiful buildings and go well with the green spaces and the large trees surrounding them. In terms of athletic facilities, Reily is an excellent gym with fairly new cardio equipment and a large weight room. There are a lot of fitness classes that you can take for free because of the student membership to the gym, and there are also Yoga, Pilates, and other classes available for a fee.