VANGUARD EDITORIAL: One does not simply walk into Unitus

As many of us begin our upper-division courses, no abbreviation strikes more fear than UTS, the three letters of course referring to Portland State’s very own Mordor: the dreaded Unitus Building.

 For the uninitiated (read: lucky), the Unitus Building stands on the south end of campus, and is notorious for being as far away from the main PSU campus as possible. Many say the Clay Building is a strong contender, but its primary function is that of a math and science auxiliary. Unitus has no such unifying bond. As a matter of fact, Unitus is a credit union first and a schoolhouse second—PSU utilizes the floors above the credit union for classes.

 Already beleaguered by late graduation dates, unfinished inquiry classes and heavy course loads, a twice- or thrice-weekly trip to PSU’s outskirts’ outskirts seems like it should be worth an extra couple of credits unto itself. With winter nipping at our heels and the first snowfall forecast well before wintertime, the prospect of hiking to Unitus gets bleaker and bleaker. For many, even seeing a course in the catalog that is taught in Unitus is enough to make it a “last resort” class.

 Call it laziness if you wish, but having back-to-back classes in either Science Building, Clay or Epler and Unitus is ridiculous. Some professors dock points off a participation grade for tardiness. Some lab classes tell you not to bother coming if you’re 10 minutes late. What happens if the professor of your pre-Unitus class runs over their allotted time? Situations like this go beyond annoyance and into very problematic territory.

 Admittedly, the authorities of PSU have done a halfway-decent job of phasing out use of the Unitus building more and more each term. However, if you’re a student of anthropology, business, economics or English, you’re already deadlocked into a dangerous game of chicken this winter. With meteorologists predicting heavy snowfall this season, do you really want to be dug out of a snowbank by a St. Bernard en route to Unitus?

With so many courses in the online catalog having a location marked “TBA” and only a handful of classes banished to Unitus thus far, it’s highly possible that more courses will be taught there. Currently, every music course is marked TBA. The farthest reaches of PSU are perhaps too far to lug a tuba or cello several times a week, not to mention books and other learning accoutrements.

 Many large classes remain empty while simultaneous courses are taught in Unitus or in other, more cramped quarters elsewhere on campus. This misappropriation of space is entirely unacceptable. Consider the case of a cinema course in which students are huddled around a tiny screen to watch movies weekly. Nearby, a large room with a proportionally large screen is unoccupied.

 If the cinema class doesn’t get to move to the bigger room, so be it—the inconvenience is still present, but minor. However, when courses are taught in Unitus that could otherwise be held in unoccupied rooms of Cramer Hall or the newly renovated Lincoln Hall, there is a problem.

 PSU would reap the rewards of a tight-knit student body if it were to assign classes in Unitus to unoccupied rooms closer to the center of campus. Instead of having several pockets of students scattered all over campus, we should turn our core buildings into intellectual and academic hives. ?

Virginia Vickery Editor-in-Chief Corie Charnley News Editor   

Nicholas Kula Arts & Culture Editor  Richard Oxley Opinion Editor  

Robert Britt Sports Editor