By Josh Weaver
The abundance of student life that crowds the courtyard of Campus Village at San Jose State University speaks to the diversity of its residents.
Located at the southeast corner of the SJSU grounds, Campus Village opened in 2005 and has become a home away from home for some students.
Around each corner there are signs of student involvement, creativity and artistic expression.
"They're just young and they, you know, are just trying to play around and have fun," said Fransine Lopez, a resident adviser. "They wanna make the place their own."
Taking a moment to scan the exterior of the seven-floor freshmen-complex that
is Building C, the writings on the windows tell a different story on each pane.
Miller, a black student, said that upon returning to his room one day, he noticed that someone had put up an ‘I love white people’ sign in response.
“I don’t know. I thought it was cool—no offense taken by anyone, and most people I talk to think it’s pretty funny.”
Not everyone, however, is fond of the artwork. Some students said they don’t really notice it.
“I think the decorations up there are stupid,” said Mih Nguyen, a resident of Building C. “I don’t really pay attention to it.”
Among the colorful collection of artistry are signs that act as dating advertisements, stating that the occupants of the room are all single, like in the case of Room 619, which reads, “We're single” and “Come to 619.”There are also signs that convey love of the hyphy movement—a music-oriented culture—and some use their windows to represent their heritage by hanging flags of the countries that are close to their hearts.
Other signs simply proclaim the “coolness” of the students living in that particular room.
The only restriction for students who wish to liven up their windows is that their message must not contain vulgar or obscene language that might be deemed offensive by other residents or passersby.
University police department Sgt. John Laws said that there is always the potential for an irrational person to misconstrue the messages.
“That is always possible in the most innocent of circumstances,” Laws said in an e-mail.
“I think that most people would accept the statement for the semi-humorous way it was intended.”
As for Room 619, Laws said that there is no real danger for posting their social availability.
“I don't envision hordes of testosterone-laden freshmen crashing down the doors to the residence hall,” Laws said.
The group of women that occupy Room 619 declined to comment on their Craigslist-like posting.
The abundance of student life that crowds the courtyard of Campus Village at San Jose State University speaks to the diversity of its residents.
Located at the southeast corner of the SJSU grounds, Campus Village opened in 2005 and has become a home away from home for some students.
Around each corner there are signs of student involvement, creativity and artistic expression.
"They're just young and they, you know, are just trying to play around and have fun," said Fransine Lopez, a resident adviser. "They wanna make the place their own."
Taking a moment to scan the exterior of the seven-floor freshmen-complex that
is Building C, the writings on the windows tell a different story on each pane.Whether it’s paper cut outs or removable paint, the decorative symbols and letters are unique to the individual artist.
“If you look outside the window, you can see the ‘I love black people sign,’” said Building C resident Jordan Miller.
Miller, a black student, said that upon returning to his room one day, he noticed that someone had put up an ‘I love white people’ sign in response.
“I don’t know. I thought it was cool—no offense taken by anyone, and most people I talk to think it’s pretty funny.”
Not everyone, however, is fond of the artwork. Some students said they don’t really notice it.
“I think the decorations up there are stupid,” said Mih Nguyen, a resident of Building C. “I don’t really pay attention to it.”
Among the colorful collection of artistry are signs that act as dating advertisements, stating that the occupants of the room are all single, like in the case of Room 619, which reads, “We're single” and “Come to 619.”There are also signs that convey love of the hyphy movement—a music-oriented culture—and some use their windows to represent their heritage by hanging flags of the countries that are close to their hearts.
Other signs simply proclaim the “coolness” of the students living in that particular room.
The only restriction for students who wish to liven up their windows is that their message must not contain vulgar or obscene language that might be deemed offensive by other residents or passersby.
University police department Sgt. John Laws said that there is always the potential for an irrational person to misconstrue the messages.
“That is always possible in the most innocent of circumstances,” Laws said in an e-mail.
“I think that most people would accept the statement for the semi-humorous way it was intended.”
As for Room 619, Laws said that there is no real danger for posting their social availability.
“I don't envision hordes of testosterone-laden freshmen crashing down the doors to the residence hall,” Laws said.
The group of women that occupy Room 619 declined to comment on their Craigslist-like posting.
