Anyone who has had the experience of being the only Pleasantville student in a room full of Briarcliff kids, or vice-versa, can agree that it feels similar to being the only person who didn’t dress up for a costume party. Even eating a meal in the Briarcliff cafeteria can make a Pleasantville kid can feel like an outsider in a place that is still technically his stomping ground. Although the two campuses are only a few streets away from each other, the separation between the Briarcliff and Pleasantville campuses can make for a great rivalry.
While the Pleasantville kids know every crack in Shirley Beth’s way, the Briarcliff kids really only trek over for classes, the gym and the library.
“I find that Briarcliff has a better atmosphere in general,” said junior criminal justice major James Kehoe. “I like that the dorms are on an entirely separate campus than the classrooms.”
It is easier to relax on Briarcliff without the shadows of academic buildings reminding students of impending classes. Some may say that the more laid-back atmosphere that Briarcliff offers is something that must be experienced to be fully appreciated. Senior accounting major and management minor Michael Rubano is able to make sense of the Briarcliff appeal.
“As an RA I have to work harder on the Pleasantville campus to foster a sense of community,” said North Hall’s Rubano. “ Briarcliff isn’t quite as bustling which makes for a sounder and tighter knit community.”
Those who have lived in Briarcliff can attest that there is something special about the community. Because most of Pace’s activities occur on the Pleasantville campus, those who are physically on the Briarcliff campus likely have no prior engagements which allows students to better kick-back with each other. Although Pleasantville is constantly humming with activity, Briarcliff provides a temporary escape from the ceaseless mayhem.
Those who live on Pleasantville can appreciate the advantage of not having to worry about a gas-guzzling commute.
“Usually I just do the wake and roll,” said junior criminal justice major Caitlin Doddy, “which can only be achieved while dorming on the Pleasantville campus.”
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, “wake and roll” is the practice of waking up, rolling out of bed and making a bee-line over to class. Those who dorm on Briarcliff must accommodate their departures in accordance with the intercampus shuttle, unless they have a car.
“The commute was definitely not worth the Briarcliff dorming experience,” said junior biology major Chelsey Kim. “It didn’t take long for it to become a hellish nightmare.”
Not even the preferable food at Briarcliff could compensate for the agony of an intercampus commute. Many students agree that the Briarcliff Cafeteria, otherwise known as “Bressel” (a hybrid between Briarcliff and Kessel) concocts the better food on campus.
“The Briarcliff cafeteria is way better than Kessel,” said junior accounting major Mitchell Waichman. “The staff is friendlier, the food tastes fresher and the Pace Perk is right downstairs.”
The Pace Perk, a late night eatery run by Pace’s students, opens every single night at 9pm and closes at 1am. The Perk is a convenient option for late night snacks considering the fact that they accept Pace One cards. The real difference between campuses, however, lies in the residence halls.
“I prefer the Briarcliff dorms to the Pleasantville dorms,” said Waichman. “I find them to be cleaner and overall more appealing.”
Although the residence halls on Pleasantville are the typical college dorms, many hold certain reputations amongst the student body. North Hall has been referred to as “the projects” due to the bland atmosphere and shoddy internet connection. Martin is comparable to a desolate retirement home where the elders come out of their rooms only for classes and meals. The townhouses mimic a majestic castle at the top of the hill descending on all of the subordinate peasants. Those of VIP status are granted access on weekends only to discover that the glorified palaces turn out to be nothing short of run-down condominiums when the lights come on, usually around 1 am. Briarcliff, on the other hand, offers a variety of residence halls.
“My favorite dorm is New Dorm,” said junior environmental studies major James Ward. “It has awesome balconies.”
New Dorm best resembles an apartment complex in which students live in suites fit for eight. Dow Hall is similar to that of a historic boardinghouse, complete with wide, spiral stairs lined with wooden banisters. Valley is comparable to that of the architecture of a Frank Lloyd Wright building; wide glass windows, and square-cut stair wells and open common areas. However, if one did want the traditional dorming experience on Briarcliff, he could opt for Hillside or Howard Johnson, more commonly known as “Hojo” which are more similar to that of the dorms on Pleasantville.
The decision of sacrificing Briarcliff’s homey atmosphere and tastier food for the convenience of a traditional college campus in Pleasantville is a personal decision that lies within the student as an individual. If the two campuses were to be combined, the strengths of each would likely cancel out the weaknesses of the other to create a super campus complete with heavenly food, a wide array of residence halls to choose from, the aspect of convenience and lastly, unity.
Pace’s future master plan aims to consolidate the two campuses, eliminating the three mile commute. In turn, it will further enhance a cohesive atmosphere on just one plot of land, no shuttle bus required! Well, that is, unless you’re planning on getting into town in which case you’d have to choose between the shuttle or sneakers.
But that’s a debate for another time.