The grass is always greener…
Today is October 19th and it is unseasonably warm outside; I am sitting on the too-green-for-late-October lawn. The breeze rustles through the changing fall leaves and I notice the deliberateness of the trees’ placements- more around the edges, symmetrical, leaving an opening in the middle perfect for college students to play frisbee or do work by the pond on a beautiful October day (while taking a few too many breaks from homework to bask in the sun and look at Johnson Pond). Benches are placed at prime pond and sunset viewing positions, while at the same time each near enough to a tree that they are covered by shade on hot sunny days.
Everything around me is orchestrated. From the placement of trees and the symmetrical dorms that frame the pond, to Miller as the heart of campus and the pond itself, Colby has designed all aspects of campus to reflect its status as an elite institution. On my first campus visit, I marveled at all the brick buildings and the symmetrical layout of Colby’s campus. In retrospect, this feeling of awe is exactly what Colby wants everyone, from visitors to students, to feel. Its architecture communicates elite Western values (i.e. Miller’s clock tower being the highest point, thus able to be seen not only from everywhere on campus, but in the local community as well). Its orchestrated eliteness can also be seen in what is hidden. Heights and Hillside are two dorms that don’t match the rest of campus. They are physically hidden behind trees or hills, and not-coincidentally, have the highest rates of dorm damage and are not shown on campus tours to prospective students.
How does Colby’s architecture compare to Croft? Croft School, like most elite schools, incorporates the aesthetics of design and architecture to promote eliteness. I found one parent’s review of Croft’s facilities, saying that it is aesthetically beautiful, but not designed practically for the students. For example, there is very little outdoor space for children to play, open areas are lined with stone, parking and fields are crowded, and the scattered buildings make it difficult for parents with multiple children.
Issues of practicality aside, Croft School is beautifully constructed and showcases its eliteness through its modern-yet-full-of-old-school-charm facilities. Ivy covered buildings with breezeways coexist with Greco-Roman pillars and geometrically interesting concrete structures. One picture on the school’s website shows all three of these buildings, which are situated next to each other. While different from Colby’s homogenous buildings, Croft still projects an elite mien.
Is an institution truly elite if it doesn’t “look” elite? Colby’s meticulous maintenance of its grounds and Croft School’s aesthetic architecture makes me want to answer in the negative. Although Croft may not have much grass, metaphorically speaking, the grass is always greener for those who can afford to water it. 