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An Appreciation of Ashton Hall
As you reach the top of the campus of Seattle Pacific University, after you make the climb up a steep hill and regain your breath, you’ll note the odd, zig-zagging building sitting in front of you. In the middle of the structure there is a series of balconies; two conjoined balconies on each of the six floors. The wall between each set of balconies is the dividing line between the East and West wings of the building. On these wings of the building are rows of windows, organized in sets of two with a wall made of rock rising from the ground to the roof between each pair. Slightly extended from the walls are horizontal bars that mark the change in floor, as well as vertical bars that differentiate between rooms. These bars create a sort of grid on the exterior of the building.
As you enter the building you are greeted by soft natural light in the atrium filled with windows. There is a door to each wing. I always take the one on the left. Through these doors you find a small staircase up to the elevator that will take up to the floor that I call home: sixth east.
The floor that I live on is one of the more densely populated floors of Ashton residence hall. Sixth east has 42 girls, in comparison to first east’s 11. My floor has a welcoming environment with nearly every door left open, welcoming you in to meet all of the people of sixth east. The friendly nature of the open doors creates a loud and bubbly environment that it would be hard not to enjoy, even though it may not provide for much privacy. Being situated in this building on this floor has given me countless opportunities to connect with the community that I am now a part of.
Ashton Hall has not always been what this building was called. When it was built in 1965 it was called Upper Residence Hall, due to its location on top of the hill. It was eventually renamed Ashton Hall after Philip F. Ashton. Dr. Ashton was a professor of psychology at Seattle Pacific for 42 years, from 1929–1971 (spu.edu). Although Ashton did not give any monetary donation to the school, he was given the honor of having a building named for him due to his years of dedication to the school.
This narrative of Ashton being honored for giving the school all he had to give reminded me of a piece by Albert Chinualumogu Achebe titled “Africa is People”. This piece describes Achebe’s attendance of an anniversary meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In this meeting, Achebe stands up and speaks on behalf of the African people, reminding those in attendance that “Africa is People”. Achebe made no monetary contribution to any cause however his simple reminder that even the poorest people are still people was philanthropy in its own way. Instead of giving money he gave knowledge and empowerment, in the same way Dr. Ashton contributed to Seattle Pacific University. Although he did not pay to have his name on this building he dedicated years to sharing his knowledge with the students at this school and that is an act of philanthropy.
This building named after a dedicated man is becoming my home. My parents moved to a new house within a week of me leaving for school, and the new, unfamiliar house that they live in doesn’t feel like home. The more time that I spend here, walking around my floor and stopping at open doors, the more this place feels like home. I look forward to more time spent in my new home, honoring the man for whom it was named.
