The opening of the Campus Center marks a new juncture for SUNY Oswego. It's the linking of east and west, north and south. But it's also the joining of the old and the new, the past and the future, our history and our destiny. This is where our academic, social and athletic lives come together. Where students and faculty share knowledge collaboratively. Where undergrads and alumni form common bonds.

We'll start our tour at the Chu Atrium, the central entrance to the Campus Center, in what used to be called Swetman Hall. Standing in this soaring space, with its gleaming birch paneling and dramatic clerestory windows, it's OK to be a little awestruck. But you'll come back down to earth with the aroma of Starbucks coffee and pastries from the smoothie shop. If the Campus Center is the hub of Oswego State, the Chu Atrium is the nucleus of this unifying building. Down the stairs you see the Compass, Extended Learning and Campus Life. Cast your eyes up and you see cozy sitting areas, perfect for a quiet read or collaborating with classmates. Turn around and you can make your way along the Charles L. Wiley '22 Alumni Concourse, west to the arena/convocation center and activity court, and east to Poucher Hall. It's bustling at class change time, and you hear snippets of conversation as friends call greetings to one another, discuss assignments for the next class or share plans for the weekend. How good the sun feels, pouring through those huge windows, while outside, Oswego's winter winds blow snow sideways!

Just off the Wiley Concourse sits The Point, home to Oswego's Student Association and other organizations. The place buzzes with energy as students book bands and speakers, plan lectures and rallies, share their passions. Campus Life staff are on hand to help the groups, to organize college-wide happenings and to manage spaces here and in the Hewitt Union. The Oswegonian newsroom is here, and passers-by can look right into the studios of student-run radio station WNYO and TV station WTOP. Across from The Point, a new 200-seat auditorium beckons. Stop in and admire the golden-hued wood-paneled walls. Sink into a comfy seat. You're in luck - There's a guest lecturer today. Grab a postlecture snack in the activity and food court, or browse Oswego gear in the College Store's new retail space. Stop in at the new computer lab or use the wireless spaces to check e-mail, research an assignment online or just chat with friends. A little farther down the concourse, you come full-circle to the Compass under the Chu Atrium, where students find help for every stage of their college careers - from orientation to a career search - with Peer Navigators. They can look for an internship, sign up for community service, have a resume critique - it's "one-stop shopping" for a successful college experience. As the sun sets in a fiery ball over Lake Ontario, just as you remember it from your undergrad days, you can watch the spectacle from the west meeting room or the Hearth Lounge. And when you leave, you'll see the lights of the building glowing like a beacon. It's a perfect end to a day at Oswego's new Campus Center.

RELATED LINKS:

Campus Center Dedication Oct 12, 2007

Campaign Launch Sept. 30, 2005