Historic, urban setting attracts students

Students do not have to take a train ride to New York City to get a taste of the city life when they can experience it much closer to home.
The College Avenue campus has become the icon of the University’s traditional and historical significance, attracting students and visitors with its city-like social setting that integrates the University with the New Brunswick community, said College Avenue Campus Dean Matt Matsuda.
“One of the things that most distinguishes College Avenue in particular is that it is the most urban of the campuses in the sense that it’s built right up into New Brunswick,” Matsuda said. “The off-campus housing neighborhoods … become part of the University and the University becomes a part of them, so there’s a lot of direct community and neighborhood interaction.”
The various campuses appeal to diverse ways of life, Matsuda said. College Avenue exposes students to a large array of shops and retail businesses as well as nightlife.
There are also a number of quirky traditions unique to the campus, Matsuda said. Aside from the original historic landmarks such as the Old Queens campus and the Voorhees Mall, the grease trucks are a symbol of the University’s culture.
“It’s kind of a sign of knowing that you’re at Rutgers,” Matsuda said. “No matter where you live, everyone knows about the grease trucks … and they know about being up and down the stretch of College Avenue.”
Some College Avenue residents call the campus the heart of the University.
Rutgers College senior Shane Press said College Avenue is always the campus of his choice when it comes to residency and a place to hang with friends.
“It’s the center of Rutgers,” Press said. “It definitely has a social atmosphere. There are all sorts of people here.”
Matsuda said he learned from Residence Life that College Avenue receives the highest number of residency requests each year.
“There is never an empty bed on College Avenue,” he said.
Aside from its friendly social atmosphere, many liberal arts students said the campus is great because most of their classes are held there. It is home to professional schools such as the School of Communication and Information and the Graduate School of Education.
“It’s so convenient living here because most of my classes are here anyway and I don’t have to take the bus,” said Alice Pyo, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore.
Many economics, history, English and humanities classes are also held on College Avenue, Matsuda said.
“We’re very strong in the humanities and social sciences, so the kind of crowds that you have around here are very strong in those areas,” he said.
The College Avenue campus is also home to the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Matsuda said.  Featuring art, poetry and more, it is home to the Writers House that sponsors the Writers at Rutgers Series where writers from all fields visit the University.
Although all the campuses work together, each campus has a separate mission, Matsuda said. College Avenue’s mission is to promote civic engagement and social entrepreneurship.
“General arts and sciences students really are asking for an education that allows them to make an impact in the community and secondly, to change the world,” Matsuda said. “They want to know how they can make a good living and make an impact on the world.”
Social action groups can take advantage of the “free speech area” in front of Brower Commons on the College Avenue campus, Matsuda said.
“You don’t need a permit or a reservation,” he said. “You can kind of just go there and speak your mind. So, we have a very socially and critically engaged campus.”
School of Arts and Sciences senior Ian Evans is a commuter student who spends most of his time on College Avenue.
“This is where I have all my fun,” Evans said. “There are the grease trucks, which are awesome.”
Pyo said the College Avenue campus is comparable to a city and has the best nightlife on campus.
“I guess you can compare it to the city because there are so many places where you can eat and shop around here … a lot more than other suburban towns,” she said. “I love it. All of the parties on College Ave., so it’s really convenient living here.”
Many students are also attracted to the Greek letter organizations located on the College Avenue campus, Matsuda said. The strong connection between the campus and the city is going to become even stronger in the coming years, as the Gateway project and the College Avenue Greening project take effect.
The Gateway project, set to be complete by 2012, will feature a bookstore with lounging space, opportunities for public lectures, a connection from the train station to the campus and more, Matsuda said.
“The idea of Gateway is that it will be more than a bookstore, but will enhance the connection between the University, the community and the state,” he said.
Plans for the Greening project include bringing the streets into a close integration with walkways and ecologically sound garden areas so that the spaces around the student center and new bus exchange are not only places to catch a ride or dodge traffic, Matsuda said.
“The Greening project will clearly reshape College Avenue itself by making the center of the campus much more pedestrian-friendly,” he said.