Royce Hall (pictured, above) is one of the four original buildings at the University of California, Los Angeles.
 |
| photo credit: www.milan.net |
Modeled after the Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio (above) in Milan Italy, Royce Hall opened in 1929 along with the rest of the Westwood campus.
 |
| photo credit: www.1x57.com |
Another view of Royce Hall, along with Haines Hall. The Arroyo Bridge was built in 1927 across the ravine just east of these two buildings.
Twenty years later (1947) the entire ravine was filled in to make way for campus expansion, but the bridge was left standing. The inside is a large, cavernous building. Here's a link to an interesting L.A. Times article on the history of the Arroyo Bridge.
.jpg) |
| photo credit: www.dragonminded.com |
Found this photo (above) posted by some UCLA grad students; really gives a good idea what the interior of the bridge looks like. As an undergrad at UCLA in the 1980's, friends and I got down inside here a couple of times and walk around. Pretty cool.
 |
| photo credit: uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com |
Another view of the bridge, this time looking south west, with a view of Humanities Building (originally what was the Physics-Biology Building) and the Library.
Royce Hall, Haines Hall, the Humanities Building and Powell Library were the original four buildings when the campus opened in 1929.
The inside of the Humanities Building has recently been remodeled, now housing offices and classrooms. Above are a couple of faculty members at the east entrance.
Closer inspection reveals a biblical quote above the east entrance, from the Psalms:
"Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law." Psalm 119:18
As a Christian, I appreciate seeing scripture or Biblical references on public buildings. It's a reminder of the influence Christianity has had in our nation's cultural and educational system. Sadly, it's impossible to imagine a building on a public university built today with any reference to scripture or God.
But is there ever a "down side" having scriptural references on things like public buildings? Maybe.
For me, I can find myself developing a warped, that is, an overly romanticized, view American history. That is everything in the past was good. To be sure, there is so much good about American history. But it needs to be balanced with some of the wrongs and injustices as well.
Second, I can develop a sense of entitlement about Christianity in the public sphere, that my faith somehow deserves special privledges, sort of a "most favored nation" status.
And third, I can get stuck in the past, rather than focusing on the present and the future.
Again, I appreciate public displays of Christian faith, both past and present. I just want to keep them in a proper perspective.
Is the glass half full, or half empty, in terms of Christianity on public universities like UCLA?
An entire blog could be devoted to what's happening on universities but here's something that's rarely, if ever, reported on: the growth of Korean-American campus ministries at places like UCLA.
As a Christian, I am so thankful for incredible things that are happening on university campuses. To be sure, Christians of all backgrounds face challenges in terms of living out their faith on campus.
But as an older professor at USC reminded me, "today, there are so many campus ministries for students to be involved in - nothing like this existed 40 years ago."
And on the East Coast, Harvard professor Dr. Peter Gomes commented “There are probably more evangelicals [on Harvard’s campus today] than at any time since the seventeenth century.”
In terms of Christianity on campuses in Los Angeles, the glass is not full, but neither is it empty.
"Open Thou Mine Eyes" to see also the wonderful things happening on campuses in the city - and around the world.
View Humanities Building UCLA in a larger map
© 2012 www.experiencingla.com
originally posted 5/24/09
-
.
No comments:
Post a Comment