We all have our favorite study spots, lunch tables and campus mall lounging locations, but there are some places around campus every Blugold needs to enjoy. Every academic building we have has a hidden gem within and we’re here to share them with you.
Haas Fine Arts Center
No Blugold should leave this university without experiencing the music, theater and art that happens at the Haas Fine Arts Center. When you first walk into Haas, the building seems like a typical college center for students to work on homework, attend class, and socialize. Haas serves as home for the Music, Theatre Arts, and Art Departments, but the center has something to offer for every student.
First, the building provides students with the opportunity to attend unique experiences such as viewing thought-provoking art in the Foster Gallery. Here, BFA students, faculty, and internationally known artists share their work for students and the community to see. The best part is no admission is charged during various times of the week.
You can also attend a musical or theatrical performance at one of the four theaters in Haas. Gantner Concert Hall, an impressive theater that includes seating for 600 and even a pipe organ, is the place for various ensemble concerts, solo recitals, dance, opera, and musical theatre concerts. If you have not attended a concert yet in Gantner Concert Hall, I highly suggest you look on the campus events page and get a ticket to a concert.
There is one more experience Haas celebrates. Throughout the month of December, Haas has a tradition of putting up a holiday tree in the middle of the common area that is more than two stories tall. Decorated with love, this tree is a relief during finals week in Fall semester. As student Courtney Lamers says, “The tree reminds me of home and it makes me feel so happy inside when I see the cheer the tree brings to the students in Haas.”
Centennial Hall
Welcome to the newest building on campus. Centennial Hall opened in January 2014 and is a very popular building to hang out in. This is where you’ll find most of the classes for the College of Education and Human Science, but there is something for every student within its walls.
Let’s be honest, school doesn’t always come as easy as we’d like. Luckily, the Centennial offers an Academic Skills Center on the second floor to support students with their struggles in specific classes. Students can set up tutor sessions for classes such as math, languages and science. Jesse Friend, computer science major, says, “Calculus tends to be pretty difficult, so I went to the center to get help with my math and it was actually extremely helpful.”
Along with the Academic Skills Center, Centennial also offers active learning classrooms. Within these new classrooms, there are pods that groups of students sit at during class. These pods allow students to follow the teacher’s lessons on the group’s computer and encourage collaboration.
If you have some time to kill in between classes or you just need a getaway, there are some pretty cool spots to check out within Centennial. Most students tend to hang out on the first or second floor, especially at Einstein Bros’ bagel and coffee shop on the first floor. But stretch yourself to walk up another flight of stairs and you will find a hidden gem. The third floor is much quieter, always has open tables for studying, and has a breathtaking overview of the campus mall.
Schneider Hall
Schneider holds the College of Business and business classes, ranging from Principles of Micro Economics to Diversity in the Workplace. Even if you aren’t a business major, you should go into Schneider Hall and check out its great resources.
Right when you walk into the building, there is a nice lounge area to sit and relax between classes. Down the hall from the lounge is the Hormel Lab, donated by Hormel Foods. It’s a great space to meet up for a group project, and any student or faculty can use it. Next to the lab is a new study lounge where students can meet in groups or use the computers. On the second floor is another special lab donated by Cargill.
To help students grow as business professionals, Schneider Hall holds the Business Communication Studio where any student can make an appointment to get reviews of cover letters, resumes or reports. Students with business majors get advising help at the Center for Advising, Development and Enrichment (CADE) on the first floor.
L.E. Phillips Science Hall
No matter what your major is, almost everyone has to take at least one class in the L.E. Phillips Science Hall. Most students would likely be surprised to learn there are a variety of different places to see within Phillips. So, let’s go on a virtual tutor.
While walking through the front doors, many students don’t realize there is a bird museum to their right. Birds may not be everyone’s passion, but I was personally fascinated to see the wide variety of bird species in the museum — and there’s no cost for admission.
Now, walk down the hall on the first floor. Located between the north and south entrances is a community garden serving as another small gem in the middle of the building. The garden provides students the chance to become one with nature. Some people even utilize this garden as a great study place to get away from the noise and stress.
If water life is more your scene, make your way to the third floor. There are two aquariums with all the different types of fish, even a couple that look like Nemo and Dory.
To take a mini-break from the cold winter, take the south elevator (closest to the Phillips parking lot) to the Greenhouse up on the fifth floor. Dr. Winnifred Bryant says, “Students should check out the Greenhouse. It is always warm there and the plants are gorgeous and smell great.” The greenhouse is run by students and is full of plants that you probably have never heard of.
Before your group of friends goes to sit down at the same booth in Davies for the billionth time, take a detour and check out some of these interesting places in Phillips. Chances are you will find yourself re-visiting these hidden gems during your time here.
McIntyre Library
At McIntyre Library, take advantage of features like the private study rooms and the workout center, to hang out and commiserate with friends, and of course, use the library as a place for study and research.
But one cool spot in the library that remains a mystery for many is room 5022 on the fifth floor. This is the university archives, which holds official and unofficial records of the university, dating all the way back to when it was founded as the Eau Claire Normal School in 1916. Not only are the archives a great place to learn about our school, it is also a great way to obtain records, maps and rare books about five other Wisconsin counties. English professor B.J. Hollars has counted on the research from the archives numerous times while writing his nonfiction pieces. He says, “Few places in the world give people the opportunity to literally hold history in their hands. But the archives do. Special collections bring the past to the present. It helps people understand our connection with the people that came before. It’s also a humbling reminder that one day we, too, will be the past.”
Hibbard
The square red-brick look of Hibbard may stand in stark contrast to the sleek, modern looks of Centennial and the Davies Center. But Hibbard has a lot to offer students.
On the ground level, it is home to the state-of-the-art Center for Journalism and Communication, or the CJC. The CJC contains the office for the student newspaper, The Spectator, the recording studio for Blugold Radio on WUEC-FM, as well as an editing center and a Mac computer lab. It contains the latest technology so that students can create the most modern and innovative media possible. “The CJC gives us the space and technology to get as realistic of a reporting experience as possible,” Lauren Kritter, chief copy editor of The Spectator, said. “It allows us to keep students and community members involved in what goes on campus and helps us compete with real news organizations.”
We hope you enjoy these spots as much as we do. What’s a hidden gem on campus you love? Share in the comments below.
