Regis University: An Anchor Institution?

Upon spending time learning about the push for Regis University to become an Anchor Institution within the broader West Denver area, I decided to observe the campus in an attempt to answer the initial questions brought about by this organizational community-formed motivation.

Observably, Regis University is a relatively small campus, somewhat out-of-place in the neighborhood in which it’s external is defined by. The boundaries, according to the fences that blockade the campus from this neighborhood (and as later noted, more promptly defined in map services and the legal campus perimeter) are Lowell Blvd. , Regis Blvd., and Federal Blvd. On the inside of Campus, observed first on a sunny day and again after a snowfall (typical, ambiguous weather patterns for this area) the architecture of these buildings differ as I changed positions throughout the campus. Most of the University’s official buildings (dormitories, instructor’s buildings, education halls, library) are made from red brick. Only a few of the more recently built/renovated buildings differ from this common exterior (ex. Claver Hall). Next to these buildings Regis has many figures, statues, and memorials that represent the Religious values of the school, such as Crosses, Engraved stone, and Religious figures scattered throughout the internal campus. Regis University also offers the feature that it is an arboretumat- consisting of “650+ different trees, and over 200 species.” (www.elearningcolorado.org)

The participants involved with Regis becoming an Anchor institution is obviously, the people who surround the internal Regis Campus (which i am using the legal borders to define) and those who surround the exterior area. (I am not defining this because I am only focusing observation on Regis’ interior for right now, and defining this would take further observation of the latter) On the first day of fieldwork for these observations, I placed myself outside of Main and West Halls in the grass on the quad, in the early afternoon. This was an active point of time for this place on campus. The instrumentalities that presumed this day included the college-aged students and adult faculty members busy walking from building to building, often times in groups or clumps, and sometimes engaging in conversation with one another. Other students, like myself, were sitting along benches and the grass that fills the Quad- again, usually separated into groups and engaging with one another both conversationally and through shared activities (namely frisbee and soccer) Other individuals were using this space and time to read/study/engage on the phone or through other personal technologies. Many of the students and faculty members were white, and were wearing casual clothes such as t-shirts and jeans, however the faculty members of the University tended to dress still casually but more suitable for professional pursuits- such as nice slacks, oxford shirts, and skirts.

On my second chance of observation, I noted both a change in the weather and a change in the participants compared to my first day, however i was situated in a similar area in front of Main and West Halls. Because campus was closed due to inclement weather conditions, there were less observable individuals outside. I noticed students dressed in coats and blankets walking to and from the Student Center/Cafeteria, and groups of young students photographing each other in the snow, and even some using the day to “play” in the quad. No faculty members/professors walked by where I was observing, except one of the Jesuit priests who was caring a newspaper and a thermos. A majority of these individuals were white. Physical Plant members were also on the campus grounds, going over the sidewalks and pathways on snow plows Other than that, it was relatively quiet of participants this day.

The “Genre” of both these instances is the normality of campus life in a small school in Denver, Colorado. Although this is broad, It would be difficult to classify these observations as “Educational” despite the setting of a college campus without closely observing and taking field notes in an actual classroom setting. Where we can argue that this is “recreational,” many of the individuals passing through the quad were not involved in recreational or much observable activity at all, besides walking and conversation. We may say that this Genre is social, as it is a place of gathering for the internal Regis campus, or we may say that it is a passive environment- just simply an area individuals use to get from place to place on this campus. This decision can vary from day to day depending on many factors, including time, weather, season, placement etc.