Case: Carrying the Pulse of Colgate

Case Library is one amazingly beautiful place. Looking from the Persson steps on the way down from McGregory or Lawrence, the breathtaking panorama of Case Library against the background of far reaching planes and landscape is my favorite view in Colgate so far. No big surprise that when I attended a colloquium last week, the guest speaker from Cornell began his speech stating that “It is a privilege to be on this beautiful campus” before anything else while starting to talk about Colgate!

Case Library is much more than a pretty face, though, and even more than a place to get books and study; it represents the lifestyle of the Colgate population as a whole. The weekdays are mostly bustling with people moving in and out of the third floor and the computers are busy all the time. Sketches of conversations of different people create a vibrant academic environment throughout the place. Undoubtedly, the help desks are busier than ever!

As the weekend draws near, the tide of students moving to Case wanes. Everyone is waiting for the coveted Friday and Saturday nights, hence, save the occasional printing or project work, Case is left at an unwanted peace. The working staff gets bored waiting to offer help and are forced to switch over to homework (only the students)! The hours are short as well and the veil of absence engulfs Case fast. Sunday morning remains the same, when Case, along with the rest of the campus, wonders where the students are! Around noon, a couple of people start to drift in.

The floodgates open as the afternoon passes by. Raiders of various shapes and sizes start flooding in and taking their place. The bustling weekdays are replaced by muffled whispers, and even the sound of a dropping pen is sure to attract a dozen eyes in the reading room. Everywhere, students are observed fighting off their writer’s block, tackling the interminable papers and trying to ace the exams. In the Heiber Café on the fifth floor, they try to do it while grabbing a quick meal or sipping a Starbucks coffee. It is not unusual to see even the private study rooms occupied by students in groups shaping their thoughts into a neat presentation.

There are other ways in which Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology is becoming a symbol of Colgate itself. On every weekend, a bustling group of prospective students enter the facility, guided by an enthusiastic host in full flow about the advanced facilities like LASR, while they watch with interest the history of the Library over the LCD screen. Colgate viewbooks and the website announce its presence with enthusiasm. The Case-Geyer Open Day was a success, presenting students opportunities to get the most out of their experience. The fact that it is close to anywhere on campus makes it a sweet deal indeed.

For me, the five-story building is a place to go to socialize, work and study. I did not go into detail about the facilities that are here, because they are well documented already and the excellent people working there are always ready to help. It is a great place to meet the Colgate population (and in a sober state too!) and connect with them. The aura of community that prevails there perhaps well represents the neatly bound population that exists in Colgate. Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I wrote this piece sitting in the Case Library?