Remembering Student Spaces
For generations, students have had spaces for them built by university leaders or have claimed other campus public spaces controlled by the adults at Southwestern for themselves. These entries explore the ways that students have claimed spaces of their own on campus over the years and how these claimings are remembered today.
JEDI Center
An Office Focused on Social Justice That is Also a Safe Space for People With Marginalized Identities
The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Center was created in 2022 by Malissa Ismaila, Director of Student Inclusion and Diversity. The JEDI center is located on the 3rd floor of the McCombs Campus Center. Its predecessor, the Office of Diversity Education (ODE), led by Terri…
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Story Tree
Whose place is it?
Though the university has incorporated it into the institution’s recognized traditions, Story Tree remains largely “owned,” used, and perpetuated by the students. The student body originally made the tree their own and continues to remake it as their own by proliferating new practices. Through various offerings and hidden practices, students consistently reinforce this site as a place of…
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Korouva as Memory Place in 2023
In May, 2023, when the Placing Memory project began, Korouva Milk Bar was located in the Field House on the western edge of campus in a state of limbo, a relic from a lost time. Korouva was an exclusively student-run café and organization that opened in 1994 and closed its doors in March 2020 as part of the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and had sat there frozen in time ever since.
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How Korouva Milk Bar Became a Place
The Korouva Milk Bar was an exclusively student-run café and organization that opened in 1994 and closed its doors in 2020 as part of the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. As of this writing, in May 2023, it has not re-opened, though plans are in motion to resurrect it in a different location on the east side of campus in the near future.
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"Monstrance for a Grey Horse"
In just a few years after it appeared on campus, this enigmatic sculpture has become a good-luck charm and object of worship for many Southwestern students.
"Monstrance for a Grey Horse," now known simply as “Monstrance” by students, is a hallmark of any current Southwestern campus tour, and an important cultural touchstone for current student life.
All throughout the school year, but especially during exam and holiday seasons, students…
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The Early History of Sororities at Southwestern
The establishment of sororities on our campus shows a history of perseverance as women sought to create equity between men and women on campus.
Following the arrival of Greek fraternities for men in 1887, female students saw a need for a similar space in which they could create bonds and connect to other like-minded female students through ritual. However, they were dismissed by the Faculty and Administration, as some thought allowing…
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