The Cave - Kelsi Kao

This is a picture of what the rugby teams call “the Cave”. It’s the space underneath the stairs of Godwin on the Bookstore parking lot side of the building. The Cave looks out towards Bluestone Drive and the temporary G-lot bus stop. This space is covered up by a large tarp and is secured with Velcro and small metal hooks. The average JMU student may walk right by the Cave without even realizing that it exists. This space is designated for the men and women’s rugby teams to store equipment. The other side of the tarp holds various things including two rugby goal posts, rucking pads, Gatorade water bottles, rope, and metal stakes.

Because the Cave is part of Godwin, I think campus designers intended this space to be used by sports teams. However, the tarp could have been designed better. It takes extra time to pull the heavy tarp back onto the Velcro when closing the Cave. Sometimes the metal hooks don’t match up perfectly with the holes in the tarp so you have to take the whole tarp down to re-adjust it. It would be easier if the tarp worked more like a curtain with zippers to secure it. There’s no lighting or heating in the Cave, so there’s no way to improve its sustainability.

This space will always remind me of playing rugby at JMU. I’ll remember carrying the goal posts from the Cave to Godwin field before home games on Saturdays, and then carrying them back to the Cave after games. The posts are heavy and take about 10 girls to carry each. In order to carry them to Godwin field, we have to maneuver around light poles, cement benches, and Godwin stairs. It takes good communication and teamwork to get both goal posts to the field to set up.

I believe that Greenberg’s arguments apply to JMU. Our buildings definitely communicate a special meaning and character that is unique to our campus. The Quad represents a place of gathering for friends, the Duke Dog, puppies, and streaking at 4am. The Bluestone buildings reinforce this idea through unity and fellowship. The architectural design of our campus is so visually pleasing and serves more than just a practical purpose.