Editor’s note: This walk was completed before the campus operations update that announced all doors to closed buildings would be locked. 

I’m a student who has always liked school. 

I like seeing my classmates, many of whom I have become close friends with after the semester ends. I like getting to know my professors and hearing about their stories: past life experiences, strange jobs they had in the ‘90s and the reason they fell in love with their field. I like putting on a nice outfit for class and feeling ready for the day. I like getting homework done in the Oakland Center, hearing the hum of conversations around me. I like OU men’s basketball, and I love writing for The Oakland Post. Heck, I’m even one of the lucky students who actually enjoys her major.

At first, I was originally fine with a nine-day-long Thanksgiving break during the initial campus closure. To tell you the truth, I was even pleased. I had homework to catch up on, and I had laundry to do.

But when the university announced another week without on-campus classes, I was frustrated. In all honesty, this is the most important week of my semester. I have final project presentations, final exams to review for and I have one-on-one office hour appointments. Out of all the possible weeks to be on campus, this is the one I needed the most.

I recognize things can be worse. I could live far from home, or I could even be an international student. I also recognize that the heating pipes are not an issue that can magically be fixed, nor do I blame the Oakland University administration. But I think it is fair to say that my frustrations are valid. 

In the true spirit of journalism, The Oakland Post met in the lobby of Hillcrest Hall, one of the few buildings that was still open, to plan our news schedule for the next few days. We normally gather around a long, sturdy wooden table in the Oakland Center in our office, but that day, we huddled on couches in a dormitory lobby.

After our weekly staff meeting, I took a walk around campus with three other reporters to see what was going on. I wanted to see firsthand what the campus looked like — not what I heard through a campus-wide email.

Let me tell you what I saw. 

Elliott Hall

Our walk began at Elliott Hall. We tugged on the doors, with a sign reading “THESE DOORS ARE OPEN,” in all caps. When we tried to open the doors, they didn’t open, even after trying the handicap button and multiple doors. 

My first impression of our campus walk was general confusion and a lack of communication from the signage. Excuse my pun, but it was literally a door in our face. 

Engineering Center

We then took a quick walk over to the Engineering Center, expecting more locked doors. However, the main entrance was open. On our walk inside the building, we met a student worker, who led us to her office space. She explained that she would be working on campus this week, despite the closure and continuing her research. 

My spirits were lifted for the first time that day. At least a student researcher could get the access she needed. On the upper floor, we met her three fellow coworkers quietly working on their projects. It was a small but uplifting win of the day.

Dodge Hall

We then walked over to the side entrance of Dodge Hall, and the doors were unlocked. There were no signs — it was just open.

As a journalist, I’d like to think I have a wide vocabulary, but no word quite describes my experience in Doge Hall better than: cold. 

It felt almost haunted. Half the lights were off, the building was silent and it was noticeably cold. I was wearing my winter coat, earmuffs, mittens, a large scarf and jeans. I could still feel the chill throughout the building.

South Foundation Hall

South Foundation, in contrast, was weirdly hot. After being in there for only a few minutes, I had to take off my jacket. There were a lot of heaters, machines and pipes throughout the entire building. It felt less like an academic building and more like a dystopian nightmare.

The Oakland Center

A lot of strange things happened in The Oakland Center. Firstly, there was only one working entrance — all the others were closed.

A staffer from the welcome desk greeted us. Students are only allowed to enter the OC if they have an appointment.

“Do you have an appointment?”

“We’re with The Oakland Post,” I replied.

And with that, no appointment made, we got in. Sometimes, all you need is a confident voice and a sense of journalistic authority to be let into places you probably shouldn’t be.

The OC was hot, especially near the Habitat. It was also lonely. It’s a space meant for students to meet with friends, to get homework done and to hang out after a long day. This was the opposite of what I’m used to. I saw only a handful of people in the building.

I finished our campus walk feeling mildly disheartened. This is usually a lively campus, yet I saw a total of ten people the entire walk. On a Monday, our busiest day, that silence spoke loudly.

At the end of the day, I spent an hour with friends, wandering around a campus I love.

See you next semester, Oakland. Whatever altruistic higher power that controls the heating — please fix the pipes. 

Check out The Oakland Post’s Instagram reel that provides a visual account of the experience.