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The Campus

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Western Oregon University (WOU) is best known for its strong educational programs and small classroom sizes. But one of its best kept secrets is the attractiveness of its 157 acre campus – the grounds are a beautiful snapshot of Oregon’s verdant countryside.
The campus is an ideal example of natural landscaping — everything green and lush. Native valley oak, big leaf maple, Douglas fir, and other native trees are the backdrop for campus buildings and athletic fields. A giant Sitka spruce tree, planted by the graduating class of 1887, is at the heart of the Western Oregon campus. Each holiday season it is strung with thousands of glittering Christmas lights, a tradition started 1967, and is a widely anticipated event.
Beside the student union center is another point of interest --a carefully tended rose garden featuring many colorful specimens. A popular hang-out place called the Grove is nestled between the academic buildings and the dorms. It is a center of student activity, popular for Frisbee, tanning, outdoor studying or just plain people watching. A large abstract sculpture tucked away in one corner acts as a good subject for debate. Does the sculpture represent a rabbit? A person? The meaning of life? The question will probably go forever unanswered.
Another popular outdoor area is the field at Arbor Park. Situated between three on-campus apartment buildings, it serves as a community area for B-B-Qs, socializing area, and impromptu football games.
Unlike very large universities, where the students are forced to dash from building to building, Western’s compact size makes getting around easy — no sprinting required. Painted wolf tracks mark the most used walkways, so new students can easily determine the most efficient routes.
For those preferring to bicycle, the sidewalks are wide enough to accommodate both bikes and pedestrians. Skateboarders also take advantage of this; it’s normal to see several students rolling along to class.
Over 40 buildings dot the campus, including Campbell Hall, built in 1871and is the oldest college building in the state of Oregon. If all the buildings had a popularity contest Campbell Hall, would probably be voted “Most Attractive”. The decorative windows and red brick exterior are so pleasing to the eye.
The Werner Center is the heart of the campus, a busy complex of food courts, meeting centers, student lounges containing video games and pool tables, the student bookstore and the university run “Café Allegro,” an extremely popular coffee shop.
Another famous building is Todd Hall, a stately brick building and the center of Western’s famous education program. Originally a girls’ dormitory in 1913, Todd Hall is rumored to be haunted!
Other notable buildings include Hamersly Library, the newest building on campus, where students can go to borrow books, request books from other libraries, look through old volumes and much more. There are also 17 sound-proof media rooms with white boards, sound systems, and video equipment for students to study with in a group or by themselves.
The newly renovated Humanities and Social Sciences building is home to the English and Humanities departments, while the aptly named Natural Sciences building is the abode of all things biological or chemical.
Visiting WOU is the best way to experience the beauty, history and excitement of this extraordinary campus.


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