Reading Augustana: responsibility and the Commons

One of the many classes in Augustana’s Civitas program is “Reading Augustana.”

Civitas classes — “Freedom,” “Pertinence” and “Justice” — rotate topics from semester to semester while maintaining their emphasis on the class’s core values. 

“Reading Augustana,” however, remains fundamentally the same every semester. The course is a study of Augustana itself: when we look at our campus — or “read” it — what do we see, and why?

Discussion in the class covers many facets of what we do and do not prioritize at Augustana: education, environment, culture, religion and more. The course ends with a focus on hope, encouraging Civitas students to continue their studies with a better understanding of the present and mindful approach to the future.

The intentionality of citizenship that “Reading Augustana” fosters is not just valuable to Civitas students but to all of us as citizens of this community.

This column will discuss the same themes as the course from which the name is taken, with the hope that all readers will become more conscious and purposeful in their roles at our university.

In this edition, I will focus on the Morrison Commons.

The Commons has undergone a number of recent renovations, which have been met with mixed reactions from the Augustana community. 

By nature, change of any kind is disruptive. Some frustration on the part of students when their regular routines are interrupted is both expected and fair. 

However, each student must bear in mind that they are not the only one experiencing this frustration; every student who uses the building may feel the same impatience.

In addition, Commons workers — Starbucks and Chick-fil-A employees, dining hall staff and Campus Safety — have been navigating this situation daily.

As this stage of the renovations wraps up — and perhaps when a new one begins in the future — I ask you to consider what you might do to make everyone’s day go more smoothly. Grant patience and grace to peers and staff.

With these things said, know that students have both the right and the responsibility to voice their opinions about changes made on campus. 

Genuine concerns about the new Commons are valid. Voicing your feelings in a respectful and reasonable manner is fair.

For instance, students in this semester’s “Reading Augustana” expressed concern during discussion about the Commons that the issue of overcrowding persists following the recent renovations, that the open-concept floor plan leads to an excess of noise during busy hours and that a welcoming atmosphere has seemingly been sacrificed in favor of sleek, modern aesthetics.

The class’s discussion was not simply venting about the difficulty of adjusting to change. Doing their best to bear in mind money and time constraints, students went on to consider what they might have done differently with renovations, given the opportunity.

Being part of a community means asking these kinds of questions. Why do we make the decisions that we do? What messages do those decisions send?

We ask ourselves these things because we will not always be the youngest generation at the table. Someday, we will be the ones making decisions regarding the future of our communities. It is imperative that we do so responsibly.

There will inevitably be busy times in the Commons going forward. Meal hours may always feel hectic, and future plans for the Back Alley mean more renovations in the building. You may indeed continue to feel frustration.

In light of this, I encourage you to reflect on the name of the building. It is indeed a “common space” — a gathering place that we all share. What does this mean to you? What would you like to see the Commons become?