jadaibergolla

Learning to Laps in the Pool; It's All Refreshing

I did not expect the facilities in this school to be this innovate and resourceful for students. The physical recreation center and gymnasium is enormous. It has tennis courts, a pool, various machinery, a runner's field, and so many different opportunities to keep students motivated to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. Since the university is in the middle of downtown Columbia, buildings and busy streets separate many of our dorms and parking garages from the Russel House student union, all libraries, the gym, and various campus locations. What's wonderful is that not only are the facilities so wonderfully diverse and useful in what they offer, but there are walking bridges connecting everything together. I park my car and walk through the sky bridge towards the gymnasium every morning and then take a shuttle bus directly to my classes. It is a wonderful tapestry of bridges and transportation to keep the students on campus mobile and close to all facilities they want and need. The Russel House student union is magnificent, serving as a food court, bookstore, coffee shop, news center, and housing various student offices in an aesthetically pleasing, rich, school-spirit designed exterior architecture. You're never far away from the Gamecock mascot and school colors, and the art deco buildings of certain facilities mesh nicely with the historically kept and upgraded traditional, southern styles of the rest.

Exlusive, Expensive, and Expendable

Greek Life has its own center in campus living, with traditional houses next to one another. The parties are reserved for frat and sorority members only, making each and every event exclusive and minimal in its grandiosity. There isn't a great, big Greek scene on campus because most students commute and participate in other clubs and extracurricular activities outside of Greek opportunities. It's reserved for the wealthy students and some of the snobbish personalities on campus, a very "us versus them" principle Greek life here on campus as adopted. If they were more welcoming towards other students from all walks of life and offered events and parties open to all students, perhaps more students would be interesting in joining them and accept Greek life into the school's social curriculum and underground party scene far better.