Dan Gilliam
Bricks have been a part of NC State’s identity from the beginning, back when bricks to build Holladay Hall were donated by the local prison. Since then, bricks have been used throughout NC State’s campus. There are about 588,060 bricks in the Brickyard alone. Until the late 1960s it was mostly grass, with non-brick pathways crossing it. Today, it is little more than a lumpy eyesore and a convenient place to host Shack-A-Thon.
Options other than bricks should be used to construct new pathways on campus and should be considered when repairing or renovating existing pathways.
It’s tradition to steal a brick from NC State when you graduate. Attempts to avoid this issue by giving people bricks instead obviously haven’t solved the problem. The tradition isn’t to take a freely offered brick; it’s to steal one, regardless of whether or not it’s right. As a result, there are missing bricks all over campus that pose not only a tripping hazard, but also a hazard for people who ride bikes, scooters and skateboards, especially at night.
While steps are being taken to increase the amount of light on campus at night, I can say from personal experience that it can be extremely difficult to see the ground when riding after dark. After late nights at the library, I would ride my longboard across the Brickyard, hoping that a brick wasn’t missing or sticking up at a weird angle, because I couldn’t actually see them.
In addition to bricks being a tripping hazard, they also get very slippery. Even in boots, I find myself having to be very careful with my footing when I’m walking around in the rain. I’d like to believe I’m not a very clumsy person, but I recently fell off my bike when the bricks were still wet after a rain. Despite having relatively new tires, my rear wheel slid out from under me during a fairly typical turn.
Walking around after it has snowed on campus is even worse. Other pathway materials may or may not solve this problem, but walking off the paths is how I avoid slipping in the snow. Unfortunately, the Brickyard is entirely paved. Because of this, it almost feels like an impromptu ice rink, and we’re all walking along the ice without skates on.
Now, there are two frequent counterarguments I hear. The first is that riding a bike in the rain or at night is unsafe. Sure, that’s valid. However, I personally feel safer riding my bike at night than I do walking. Students also ride bikes around at night for fun.
The second argument is the more problematic one, centering on bricks being a part of NC State’s culture. People have even half-jokingly told me that I shouldn’t have come to NC State since I don’t like bricks.
The most important decision people make when they decide where to go to school isn’t what the pathways are made of. The education, community and price tend to be among the most important factors. We don’t pay the absurd amount of money we do just so we can coexist alongside a certain type of building material for a few years.
In contrast to main campus, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of non-brick there was on Centennial Campus, including cement and green space, in the brief time I lived there this past summer. There was plenty of green space outside my apartment, and the use of brick was tame.
Every corner of campus doesn’t need to be ripped up today just to change the building material that is used. However, options other than brick need to be used in the future when it comes to repairing and renovating existing pathways and creating new ones.