I have trouble understanding how this project was approved. The $67.1 million Contemplative Commons (“CC”) is described on its website as a “dynamic complex of spaces designed to foster organic exploration of new ways of experiencing the world.” In practice, the space does not seem to foster any new way of experiencing the world at all.
The small exhibits I found in CC were glorified white noise rooms with LED lights and no comfortable places to sit. It seems that only about 10–15 people could comfortably study inside the building, owing to the fact that most seating areas around the building are outdoors. Plus, the staircase landings are disproportionately long, as if to insinuate they had no clue how to fill up the space.
In my time at UVA, most of my interactions with the CC have simply involved walking on the bridge that runs alongside it to get from old dorms to the Pavilion for a quick lunch. Rarely do I find myself actually getting off the bridge and going through the double doors to enter the CC. During orientation, they boasted about the CC and how much of a relaxing space it was. They never really touched on the specifics of its purpose, however.
At first, I recall finding the space quite beautiful, especially the pond outside. Then the year started, classes picked up, and I quickly forgot about it. Then, one day while I was doing my daily walk back over the bridge, instead of returning to my dorm, I decided to see if the CC was actually a decent study space. I found an empty table, neatly arranged my notebooks on a table, and opened up my laptop. I typically like to study with light music or silence, but I quickly realized that this was an echo chamber. Any time someone walked through the doors onto the first floor, it echoed throughout the entire space. If a student so much as whispered on one end of the hall, it made its way down to me. Within a mere ten minutes I had packed up and gone back to my usual spot in Shannon Library.
Recently, I attended an actual Contemplative Commons event. The event was a part of a meditation series called “Spring Renewal Meditation: Emerging Light.” The four-part sessions were entirely voluntary and open to all students on Mondays starting at 10 a.m., so a friend suggested that we go together. Rushing in just as it was starting, the room was notably empty, save for the instructor of the class and another member of the CC team. At first I thought we were interrupting something and had gone to the wrong room. The instructor registered my confusion, quickly smiled, and asked, “Are you here for the spring renewal meditation?” I smiled back and replied in the affirmative. We sat down on pillows in the middle, waiting for any more students to arrive, but no one else ever did. For a space that took four years to build, finally opening its doors in the Fall of 2024, the lack of student engagement is far from appropriate.
The space could be used quite differently to improve student interest. Perhaps some of the rooms could be refitted for recreation, allowing students to play ping-pong, pool, or air hockey in their downtime. First-year dorms do not have such spaces, so it would be a great way for students to come together for fun activities.
The other spaces could be utilized for studying but in a way that’s meaningful for a diverse student body: reading rooms with abundant seating or a collaborative room where people can meet up and talk openly. With all the extra space, there can still be several studios for the original purposes of “contemplation,” such as meditation and yoga. What’s clear is that the current Contemplative Commons needs to work on connecting with the student body and making an actual impact on the University community, lest it be stuck as little more than a boondoggle.
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