As the new school year began, it was obvious a lot of changes were taking place across campus, the most notable of which might be the new “Great Lawn.” Whether you are a freshman, senior, faculty member or any other member of the campus, the odds are you remember the old Quad. Maybe you saw it on your first college visit or during freshman orientation. Maybe you remember spending a warm, sunny day studying on it before a spring semester final.
To the chagrin of many students in West Chester, the old Quad haphazardly crisscrossed with disintegrating sidewalks had been replaced with the Great Lawn.
What happened to the wacky, abstract ram horns statue? How will we walk from Main Hall to Recitation Hall? What about all the old trees? These are just a few examples of the questions undermining the “greatness” of the Great Lawn (I was especially concerned with the relocation of that eccentric ram statue). Some people missed the artwork and the shade of the trees. Others appreciated the sidewalks that seemed to lead you anywhere but your actual destination. Many people did not see the need to “upgrade” the Quad.
From a greater appreciation of all things that change for the better, I have come to appreciate the transformation from the old Quad to the Great Lawn. We now have new sidewalks that make navigating the four corners of the Great Lawn more intuitive.
They will be easier to clear snow from when the menacing polar vortex swings down from the arctic again to drop another “Snowpocalypse” in our laps.
Some of the older trees, which were at the end of their lifespans or diseased, were replaced with younger trees that will become staples in the landscape of the Great Lawn.
What I’ve found most interesting about the Great Lawn though, are the storm water management capacities hidden from the naked eye.
When it rained on the old Quad, I can remember the water running downhill from Main Hall towards Ruby Jones Hall, Recitation Hall, and Old Library in sheets. Walking to Main Hall during a heavy rain sometimes seemed like walking up the Brandywine Creek. I had suppressed these memories of the old Quad until I learned about the storm water management properties of the new Great Lawn, and I realized this is something that I haven’t experienced this semester.
Excess rainwater in municipal sewage systems, in some cases, can cause overflow sewage to be discharged into our surrounding creeks and streams. I love rain, but every time it rains heavily I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in our sewer systems. How much rain is too much? For this reason, I think I appreciate the storm water management properties of the Great Lawn more than anything.
The Great Lawn lies over amended soil that slows storm surges of rainfall to the catchment areas placed on either side of an existing ridge within the ellipse. Each of these drains runs to two underground basins that store water and infiltrates it into the ground, to recharge the ground water system.
In extreme cases, the stormwater exceeds the volume of the basins and will discharge into the municipal sewer system, which eventually flows to Plum Run. This, of course, is why it is important for the initially revealed amended soils to absorb and slow the rainfall’s entry into the system. This hidden but extremely important feature of the Great Lawn can help keep our local streams and creeks healthy, and I can do a little less worrying.
So, while I have many fond memories of the old Quad, I can’t help but welcome the Great Lawn. Change isn’t always a bad thing. It’s human nature to adapt and overcome challenges. We are innovative creatures that should be skeptical, but welcome the idea of change.
The Great Lawn keeps excess water out of our municipal water treatment facilities, more water in the ground for the grass, plants, and trees to grow, and importantly, the bottoms of my pants dry. And for that, I am grateful.
P.S. Those statues have been installed at the E.O. Bull Center.
Beau Ryck is pursuing a Masters of Arts in Geography. Beau can be reached at BR781389@wcupa.edu or on Twitter @beaulogna.