Shane Hennen
Professor Fugslang
Fundamentals of Journalism Comm. 208
Due: September 11, 2012
Roadman Lobby or Grandmas Basement?
Smack-dab in the middle of Morningside’s campus sits a tan, plant-covered building known as the Roadman Residence Hall, named after Dr. Earl Roadman. Dr. Earl Roadman was Morningside College’s President from 1936 to 1956. This newly renovated structure provides a college students ideal walking distance to many other important buildings. Not to mention the picturesque slice of numerous garden-fresh flowers basking in the sunlight outside the building.
It is hard to resist the urge to pull out a magnifying glass and investigate the inside of this astounding structure. When taking a stroll inside the front entrance of Roadman hall the first thing that one see’s is the main lobby. An image of hanging out at grandmas always pops up. Pale walls and outdated furniture surround the room. Keithan Karn said, “It’s very plain and there isn’t much color in the room.” Sitting in the middle of the room is the main attraction, the pool table. Other allures are neighboring this table of fun. Covered with entrances and exits, the sounds of doors slamming open and shutting echoes through the student hang out. The early morning crowd does not make much of any other noises besides occasional beeps of key scanners. The temperature is relaxing enough to stay, while sitting in the obsolete furniture is like hanging out in grandma’s basement.
As the day the progresses the relaxing temperature is gone as quick as an apple pie at grandma’s Christmas party. Morningside’s learners are leaving for their classes. The room soon fills with sounds of feet scattering across the floors surface and the air turns moist and uncomfortable. The scents of body spray and shower soap fill the lobby. One student Kyle Nikkel says, “I can smell the scent of dirty laundry because of the laundry room right next to it.” Boys and girls occasionally sit down with their backpacks and their eyes on their cell phones, but for the most part the lobby is just another room to walk through till a student reaches their dorm.
The day reaches its halfway point and that early morning relaxing temperature is long gone. The familiar noises of this lobby stays around throughout the day until all of Morningside’s student athletes practices have come to an end. This is when the real noises come out. The loud, mostly pointless, conversations from student to student start to fill the room as people walk through. The clean well-kept lobby soon turns into a pit where students accidently drop their food wrappers and pop bottles. The pool table tries to do its best couch imitation, as students seem to think it is a nice place to sit down. Sometimes the smell of “cookies being baked” comes out during the night says Stephen O’Neill, this could be due to the kitchen near by the lobby or maybe the fact that the image of grandmas basement is taking over all of one’s senses.
As the night begins to wind down the emergence of students trying to study comes. The light sound of music comes out of ear buds, and the bright computer screens are scattered across the room. The crunching of wrappers containing any young adults favorite snacks begin to come about. The cue ball hitting the other polyester and acrylic balls lets out a cracking noise. Student’s bed times finally come around and the room becomes empty. All that is left is what the Roadman lobby started with. A temperature that has come back down, outdated furniture, and those pale walls and the image of a grandma’s house.
