Qvcro

Is Douglas’ concourse on the right track?

Are you pro-course or con-course?

 

By Jacey Gibb

“What do you think of the concourse?”
someone inquired to me the other day. I asked
what they meant and they rephrased the
question to “do you like Douglas’ concourse
or not?” To be honest, I’d never given the
central part of our carhpus a second thought
(and turns out, most people I asked hadn’t
either). The first time at Douglas College,

I too was introduced to this impressive,

wide open space host to a bounty of steps
and windowpanes. But much like a married
couple over time, the concourse and I became
indifferent to each other and just accepted
our already established co-existence. After
awareness of my apathy was made clear
though, I embarked on a journey of self-
discovery to find out whether my relationship
with the concourse was resting on a solid
foundation.

The most obvious attribute of the
concourse would be how spacious it is.
Everywhere you look; there are feet upon
square feet just waiting to be trotted over.
Now this can work both positively and
negatively. I’m glad it’s roomy enough that
I’m not bumping asses with every step I take,
but for anyone whose been on campus past
four o’clock, they know that Douglas becomes
a ghost town. There’s something haunting
about walking across such a vast wasteland
and finding it completely vacant.

The large amount of space works in your
favour though if you have a club that needs
promoting or are looking to host your own
event. Just the other week, it played surrogate
to the Imaginus Poster Sale (is once a year not
enough? Leave my bank account alone!) while
more recently I witnessed a club selling ethnic
food that looked unrecognizable but smelled

14

delicious. I’m sure having a setup in such a
frequented location is beneficial to all of the
little clubs that could. The basement hallways
just don’t have the same amount of traffic.

Working for AND against the concourse
again is the countless number of windows.
On a beautiful day (they’re coming, I promise
you) the sun smiles fondly indoors and brings
new life to the campus. However, during the
other ninety percent of the year, we get a front
row seat to the gloomfest brewing outside. We
get it Lower Mainland, you rain a lot. Now
stop the constant reminders.

Probably as a result of the number of
windows, temperatures in the concourse
love to sink to shrinkage levels. If you
had night classes in the winter, you know
what its like to put on your coat just for the
minute walk to the classroom on the other
side of the school. Even during the daytime,
you could sometimes see your own breath.
This encouraged me to initiate the old ‘I’m
exhaling cigarette smoke but it’s actually
just really, really cold’ gag. On second
though, maybe the cold temperatures aren’t a
downside...

I guess you could argue that the
concourse is Douglas College’s equivalent
to an actual quad. Sure, there aren’t outdoor
study groups and douche bags playing
ultimate Frisbee, but it seems to be the main
place that people loiter in-between classes
and hang out. From a structural point of view
it’s also the ‘heart’ of the campus, since it
seems everything else revolves around it, and
to get from point a to b at Douglas, you'll
undoubtedly have to cut through it.

Going back to the concourse serving as
the main socialization area of Douglas, why is
there such a lack of actual places to sit? There
are the four or five benches placed throughout

 

 

and there’s the obvious suggestion to just
sit on the steps, but it becomes annoying
when you’re trying to ascend to the third
floor and there’s a group of twenty people
sprawled across your trajectory. More
places specifically designed for sitting
would not go un-appreciated.

After analyzing all its physical
properties, current and potential usage and
just based on my past experiences with
the concourse, I’m come to a conclusion:
I still don’t care. Turns out my apathy

from the beginning had been on the right
track in just accepting the concourse and
moving on. Almost everyone I’ve tried to
get an opinion on it from replied with “I
don’t know. It’s just.. there.” Indeed, my
fellow classmates. My thoughts exactly.
So for the time being, I will continue to
frequent the concourse and will remain on
good terms with it. Unfortunately, I don’t
see our relationship lasting. After another
couple semesters, I might have to start
seeing other concourses.

 

 

    
 

RS
ERNST
@
NFS

We're inviting
B.C. youth to a conference
in Vancouver from August 19-21, 2011
— all expenses paid!

If you’re aged 18-30, live in BC, and want to
learn about transportation, sustainability and
planning, apply to attend by January 31, 2011.

See translink.ca/bcyouthsummit for full details!

tl

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