University Daily Kansan / Wednesday Aug. 23, 1989
15D
That other campus Where few have gone West Campus has research facilities, more
by Sharon Chapman Kansan staff writer
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. This is the dimension of imagination. It is the area we call . . . West Campus.
West Campus is not really that mysterious, but, for many undergraduate students, it can be close enough to zone at the University of Kansas.
Because few undergraduate courses are taught on West Campus, many KU students never have a reason to go there. Shen Complex, the playing fields at 23rd and Iowa streets, is often the only part of West Campus that undergraduates use.
Students who live in one of the nearby residence halls might see West Campus as just a good place to get a tan or as a short cut to Iowa Street. But it is also an important part of KU's campus.
West Campus is an area west of Iowa Street. It includes three-fourths of the land between 15th and 23rd streets and Iowa and Kasold streets.
"We began to build over there because the main part of campus was getting too congested," said Bob Porter, associate director of physical plant maintenance.
The Kansas University Endowment Association acquired the land over a period of time. Since then, the association has deed parts of the land to the state of Kansas for KU's use. KU also uses some of the land through no-fee use agreements and other leases.
The oldest buildings on West Campus are two farmhouses that were built around 1900, and a schoolhouse that was built around 1890. One of the farmhouses is used by the art and design department for its glass blowing courses.
The first new building on West Campus was built in 1962. It became Youngberg Hall and home of the endowment association. The association still owns Youngberg Hall and Pioneer Cemetery.
"The idea was to build research facilities and then support services for those people," said Marci Francisco, assistant director of facilities planning.
With that in mind, printing services and Parker Hall were built in
'W
We began to build over there because the main part of campus was getting too congested.
associate director, physical plant maintenance
1968. Parker Hall once housed U.S.
Geological Services and is now occupied by Kansas Geological Services.
Now, there are about 40 buildings on West Campus.
"It will remain primarily research type buildings even though the new Lied Center will be built there," Porter said.
The Ernest F Lied Center for the Performing Arts will be built at 18th and Iowa streets.
Francisco said future construction plans for West Campus include replacement buildings for those that are losing space to the performing arts center and more parking for the residence halls.
Research may not seem like an exciting reason to venture into the unknown land of West Campus, but there is more to it than just data and experiments. Most of the research departments also provide services to KU and the public.
For example, Kansas Geological Survey is a division of KU, but serves the entire state. Some of its services include geologic mapping and public access to its core library.
However, students are not completely foreign to West Campus. Many graduate students do their research projects there and most departments employ student workers.
A disadvantage of working on West Campus is the distance between it and the rest of campus. Rex Buchanan, assistant public relations director at the geological survey, said that he felt isolated sometimes.
But, Buchanan said, West Campus is a good location for research activities.
"We're not as affected by the beginning of" semesters. We can spend most of the summer doing field work," he said, "And we
never have a problem finding a parking place."
The land between 15th and 23rd streets and Iowa and Kasold streets is more than just a good place get a tan. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. It is the area we call... West Campus.
Source: Facilities planning
Nichols Hall houses the Space Technology Center.
Kelly Lamson/KANSAN
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