Commentary: Putting the Book Staircase Back: A Rendering of Northeastern’s Underlying Problem

Is it dramatic to declare a university soulless because it quirky book staircase design with a picture of the Husky mascot? Maybe. But the change is emblematic of a declining sense of community and Northeastern’s worrying trend toward being nothing more than a graduate factory.

The replacement of the book steps earlier this year is the latest example of this disturbing trend, although on the surface the event may seem inconsequential. Was it fun climbing the husky-themed book spines? Yes. But aside from my now-obstinate determination not to climb the newly painted steps, the change has not had much of an impact on life in the Northeast physically.

However, repainting the stairs represents a missed opportunity for Northeastern to involve the community in decisions and preserve the few quirky elements on campus. It should be noted, however, that by “quirky” I mean something small and clever, not something huge and Dr. Seuss-esque—the questionable Truffula tree installation is reason for a completely different article.

I had a teacher who joked that Northeastern’s ultimate goal was global colonization – and it’s not far off. While the university’s increasingly international reach and focus on admissions numbers increased dramatically it from a Commuter school to a college regularly evaluated Although it is one of the top 55 universities in the country, its one-sided focus on expansion ultimately does a disservice to the students who ultimately study there.

Whether student clubs, the kicked out their historical spaces, constantly unavailable learning spaces or Hotels converted in isolated dormitories away from At the heart of campus, Northeastern has lost its sense of community. Growth and prestige have come at the expense of a vibrant campus culture, and the university has created an environment that feels more transactional than anything else.

The Krentzman Staircase is repainted every year, but by consistently outsourcing this task to outside designers, Northeastern is squandering a valuable opportunity to leverage its talented students and create a new campus tradition.

The stairs could easily have been a fun project for the art department or club, repainted each season. Students could paint cartoons of Boston landmarks, create a mural featuring the best restaurants in the Northeast, create seasonal and holiday-related designs, or anything else they can think of.

Student involvement would have given Northeastern a fun, community-focused feature and given students a say in how the campus would be designed. Instead, we are presented with images of Paws, making the campus seem like a backdrop for brochures and recruitment videos.

Rather than providing an opportunity for community creativity and engagement, repainting the stairs was relegated to an administrative decision that further alienated students from their own campus. Annual rotation creates the appearance of a vibrant, changing community without actually improving the community.

Northeastern is too urbanized and far too large to develop the close-knit community one might find at a 2,000-student liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere, and its global opportunities and collaborative cycles only reinforce the isolation students may experience. But that doesn’t mean meaningful changes can’t be made to improve school spirit and community.

Significant changes — namely a move away from manipulation of the acceptance rate and Purchase of new campuses to focus on improving the existing university – may not be a realistic demand for a single opinion article.

However, small changes can go a long way toward strengthening the sense of community on campus. Turning a small annual maintenance activity, like repainting the Krentzman Staircase, into a fun, new tradition is exactly the kind of change that is easy to implement and, when added up, can make a significant difference on campus.

In the meantime, I will continue to avoid the freshly painted stairs. This will surely be a time-consuming but pointless protest.

Sencha Kreymerman is a second-year business administration student. You can reach her at (email protected).