On JMU's Paths
Peter Merholz looks at UC Berkley's campus landscaping and path design and finds them sorely lacking. Interestingly, JMU has taken the exact opposite (and, according to Peter, the correct) approach to this problem. The clearest example was on the Quad, where a path from the northeast corner to Harrison Hall was worn through my freshman and sophomore year. By the end of last year, the administration decided to formalize the path, and laid down gravel. This was not taken well by some "foolish facists" on campus, resulting in a dart on March 18, 2002, calling the path a "butt crack."
JMU has done well in other, similar situations, too, including building a bridge over a creek where students used to use a few rocks to get across (unfortunately, I'm not on campus right now and can't get pictures).
May 14, 2003 - 11:53 AM