SFU Re-Visited

I walked up to SFU on my own on Tuesday (25 September) late morning from the SFU Village or UniverCity where I am staying as I wanted to try to see where the changes were and to see if I can still remember where things were.

It was about a 15-min walk with some slopes (still on a mountain, remember) which burnt the leg muscles. Cornerstone, the new apartments for rental only and a mini village with the mini-mart, bank, post office, photocopier shop, hair salon, dvd rentals, cafes/restaurants, optical shop etc, making it convenient and nice for students/residents to get stuff and hang out without having to take the bus down the mountain like I used to do. Cornerstone took up part of the old B Lot and is next to the bus terminal which was also spruced up.

I walked on to the AQ (Academic Quadrangle), there are more new sculptures scattered. Then to MBC (Maggie Benston Centre) where most student services are. I remembered the MSSC events being held in one of the rooms there. Browsed in the SFU bookstore, was tempted to buy a SFU car decal for Veron since she has a car now and I think she will like that. But storage will be a problem for now since I am going to fly over to the east coast soon. Maybe I will do that when I get back here. Also wanted to buy a SFU t-shirt (ladies cut) but it didn't seem to be sold on its own. It was sold as a bundle with a cap for about C$23.90? Oh well, I think I still prefer the old logo. The new logo is too "modern" and has no sense of history at all. Then again, SFU is a young university, being set up in 1965. But I still like the crest with the motto underneath "Nous sommes prêts" (read article on the new logo here and more about SFU here).

Walked on to the Rotunda and towards the West Mall where usually the Business students are. Had some classes there before for CMNS and ECON. Seeing the students waiting outside the lecture halls reminded me of my own schooldays :p I didn't manage to see the mini Starbucks counter though. Made a turn back, walking past the W.A.C library where I spent many hours more in the basement using the computers and research. Never for revising school work or studying. Lol.

White Spot is still right by the entrance to AQ/CC (Classroom Complex). I love the veggie burger and milkshakes. All the burgers come with a huge strip of dill pickle (Celest would love that) and special triple "O" sauce. The strawberry shake is so good, thick and made with real strawberries (at least you can taste the bits) and not just the sauce or syrup thing. They have expanded the flavors to include espresso, caramel, blueberry, blackberry etc. I only recall it being the simple vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors in the old days. I bought a strawberry shake for lunch, long line though. I don't recall having to queue for so long previously.

Then my quest to search for the CMNS department in the CC area. Sadly I didn't manage to find it at all. I walked up and down the stairs but nada. Did it so many times I wondered if security noticed at all or just took me to be searching for the classroom :p I kept seeing the GEOG and PSYCH departments.

OH MY GOODNESS! Just read from the newsfeed in CMNS website that Bill Richards has passed away, from injuries through a fall, on 23 August 2007. I just missed the memorial on 20 September 2007. That is sad. I remembered him during the research class I took (CMNS 260), not that I understand it brillantly since statistics and I do not mix but he sure taught me the basics of how that worked and which I still retained in my memory bank.

Read more about it here - Martin Laba broke the news and he learnt of it through Bob Anderson.

Ok, back to why I didn't manage to find the CMNS department. I just checked the website and found out it has moved to its "rightful" place, in the Shrum Science Centre (SCK) building where the programs under the Applied Science Faculty are. CMNS is in the Applied Science faculty but somehow was always tucked under the Arts Faculty, together with the other Arts programs. So now it is finally in the same building as the others. No wonder I just could not find it. From what I heard last time, it was always about funding. Applied Science gets a higher funding compared to the Arts but since CMNS is an Arts program under the Applied Science, it is way down on the pole to get funds for research or other works. Maybe now this has all changed.

I didn't see the pretzel cart or the hotdog cart too in the other side of AQ. So made my way back to the village. This little jaunt to SFU took me about 90 mins. Not too bad - my exercise of the day :p