Break on Through... By Nathan Forman
14
The other side: a different set of dorms with a different aesthetic inhabited, as is so often the case, by unfamiliar faces. 8th
stereotypes I encountered when investigating the campus divide was that north campus is where athletes live. I lived in Norris my
the transition from the residence hall to the classroom; for many students, 8th Ave separates north (and east) from south. Events in Loose lounge and Gardner can do only so much to bring students together in a selfselecting community. For Garin Kessler ’15 who lives in Loose, geographic estrangement only exacerbates the discordance between north and south. “Hard to break north. There’s two different communities and you’re with people in one or with people in the other,” Kessler said. “The campus divide is fucked.” Kessler paints a picture of parallel universes: equally nuanced communities where insularity is de rigueur. If you’ve ever heard characterizations of “north people” or “south people,” those too share in Kessler’s sentiment. One of the most prominent
least one football player lived on and Dibble, so I was intrigued when I found out that Daniel Ryerson and Daniel Reynolds, both running backs and both class of 2015, chose to live in Cleveland this year. Thankfully, these two Dan’s were more than happy to sit down and share their thoughts about campus culture and athletics. Ryerson and I met in the Grill on April 23rd. At 5’10, 223 pounds, he carried himself with a peaceful swagger and looked a few workouts away from hulking. He could have moved boulders for a living. Ryerson lived and was eager to live there again with more of his friends from the team. “We were trying to do a six room draw and Cleveland was one of the options. I sort of talk-
ed it up a lot tried to really get it in their heads.” Ryerson said. I talked to Danny Reynolds a week later, although notably smaller than Ryerson at 5’7, Reynolds amicably answered my questions, conversing with cockchoosing to live in Cleveland came with complications. “One of us couldn’t live on campus this year, but we managed to stay in Cleveland,” Reynolds said. Although their group draw wasn’t realized, Reynolds nonetheless enjoys living on south. “I love south campus. I think it’s got a lot of personality, it’s got a lot of spirit. The people living here are nice, I don’t have to worry locking my door. It’s just a nice, calm when it needs to be, energetic when it needs to be kind of place.” While neither Dan complained much about living in Cleveland, team responsibilities hindered their immersion into one of South Campus’s most notorious dormitories. Perhaps
most damning–especially when living in Cleveland–they signed an agreement saying that they would not drink or smoke during the season. “We can’t smoke [non-tobacco] things. That’s just not something football team likes to associate with. It doesn’t mean I don’t have friends who do it; it doesn’t mean I disrespect anyone who does it. I’m not going to think any differently of anyone who does do that, it’s just something I try not to get in trouble with.” Ryerson said. in not participating when Cleveland smokes. “We sign a contract at the beginning of every season saying that we won’t, and so it’s breaking just fundamental team rules, it’s a big insult to the team.” However, abstaining from smoking is also imperative, because even smoking one joint at the wrong time can have real consequences. “There are some guys who would give you a really hard time
