I never thought I’d be spending my fall semester senior year living near a campus that has come to resemble in many ways a ghost town.
Wednesday afternoon farmers’ markets on McCarthy Quad, almost getting run over by cyclists and skateboarders while walking to class on Trousdale, getting accosted by student org advocates and calls of ‘have you voted in the USG election yet?’… all elements of a bustling, happening campus atmosphere that I never really stopped to appreciate. But while all these moving, talking parts of USC may be missing this semester – as someone living right off campus, I often walk onto campus for some much needed fresh air and a change of scenery – being around an empty campus, especially one as beautiful as USC, certainly has its own perks.
With many people missing out on being able to tour campus (and many of my friends missing the quintessential red-brick buildings), I thought this would be a good time to reflect on and share some of my favorite spots on campus.
My absolute favorite spot on campus – Ronald Tutor Campus Center. The always-on fountain (pictured here as switched off) gets a break every so often in quarantine season, meaning that I can sit here and (socially distantly) study in an unusual but appreciated silence.
The grassy area outside the Center for International and Public Affairs is another great place where I catch up on readings and reminisce about the countless hours I spent inside the building (which housed many of my minor – political science – classes and my meetings for Model UN!).
The village lawn remains as always an excellent place to suntan! (Now with a mask 🙂 )
And finally – if you have lovely roommates (as I do), McCarthy Quad remains a picture-perfect picnic spot (the grass is greener than ever before with how few people traverse it now!).
