A Trip Down Memory Lane Through SFSU

I attended San Francisco State University from August 2011 to May 2015, living on-campus my freshman year and walking distance off-campus for the remaining three years. Since graduating, I hadn’t ever returned to campus…that is until a few weeks ago when Steven and I were returning from a weekend getaway in Santa Cruz. I’d never shown him the campus before, and have always wanted to point out in person all of the different places where many of my wacky stories from my late teens and early 20s take place, so I figured there was no time like the present. Plus I knew that a lot of my friends and fellow alumni would want to see what the campus looks like too. So join me for a stroll down memory lane through the brisk autumn Ingleside air. Let’s take a quick tour of SFSU in 2020.

For the purposes of nostalgia, I’ve also put together a mini playlist of songs I recall people listening to during my college days. Of course, everyone’s nostalgic college playlist will depend on their years of attendance and the taste of their social circle, but I figured I’d throw these songs out there just to set the mood. The playlist can be heard in full by opening it up on Spotify.

SFSU Nostalgia Playlist

Please note: We didn’t walk through every single section of campus, so if I am missing a building or area that you were hoping to see, I do apologize.

We began our journey through campus by checking out the main entrance, past the Administration building - where I probably only spent a combined hour and a half during all my years at the school - and the walkway I teetered along in 4-5” platform shoes every single day. Considering all of the slopes on campus grounds, it’s a miracle I only ate it three times in four years.

Next we passed by J. Paul Leonard Library. I feel extremely lucky that by the time my sophomore year rolled around, this baby was up and ready for business. Usually when you move into an apartment complex, join a gym or begin attending a school, you hear about this big beautiful expensive addition that you’ll never be around to enjoy in the far away future. But in the case of the new campus library, I got to enjoy it for three years. During my freshman year, I never used the former library when it used to be located in that large white dome on the other side of campus, (although I did attend a Toro Y Moi concert there in 2012) so I could never fully feel how much of a privilege it was to study in that shiny modern 6-floor behemoth. All I knew was that it was a truly beautiful building with a lot of neat resources for students. Sure there are probably deserted islands and spelunking caves with better cell reception than this place, but I can’t complain too much.

Next we passed by the Business Building (with HSS right behind it.) It looks as though the Business building has been treated with a much needed new coat of paint! During my time as a business student over half of my classes took place in these two buildings. It got pretty monotonous having classes in some of the same rooms over and over again, but I’ve definitely developed a fondness for both buildings during my time away. If you had stopped 21 year old me being dismissed from Finance class at 10PM on a Thursday to tell me that seven years later I’d be looking at this building with even the slightest hint of wistfulness, I would have probably laughed in your face.

As we strolled along the grassy knoll, I pointed out to Steven where I used to see kids play hacky sack, slackline between the trees and socialize in large circles. I spotted what I thought was the word “LOVE” carved into a low-hanging tree branch, but upon closer inspection, I realized that sadly it was just spray paint.

One place I can guarantee we all have terrible memories of is the bookstore. While it had a charming collection of SFSU Gator garb, best-selling novels and tech accessories, who could really enjoy all of that while you’re getting your pocketbook gauged by the never-ending list of $100+ required text books in the dreaded l basement level? Did anyone else ever treat themselves to a colorful mechanical pencil or humorous bookmark every once in a while to add a sliver of sunshine to an otherwise miserable buying experience?

One funny memory I do have of the bookstore is the time I had to take my senior portrait right before graduation. I had an appointment all set up, and showed up with my hair done nicely and my standard raccoon-level of black eyeliner that I had become known for in my social circles. Next to me in line was a girl I’d never seen before, who had her hair curled and makeup done for the photo. She was very friendly and began shooting the breeze with me as we waited to get wrapped in purple gowns. At one point, she turned to me and said “Doesn’t it feel ridiculous wearing this much makeup during the day? I was so embarrassed going to class like this this morning.” I had to try very hard to stop myself from bursting out laughing. All I could think was ‘Girl, this is nothing.’

We then passed by Burk Hall. The only class I had in Burk Hall was randomly enough a beginner-level Hatha Yoga course. But I had been in those halls countless times as a member of the Fashion Network Association. With all the walking back and forth between HSS and the Business building, it was always a nice change of pace watching students hustle through the hallways with garment bags in tow, and passing by the mouth-watering scents coming out of the culinary classrooms.

We also stopped to admire the little zen garden-inspired landscape between Burk and the Cesar Chavez Center. It’s possible that this was always there during my time at the school and that I’d never noticed it because I often walked through campus with my head down while blasting Youth Lagoon.

On the other side of Burk Hall, we saw another building I spent a ton of time in. For me, so many formative things happened in this Humanities: I learned a lot from my favorite Professor Steve Savage, I witnessed a girl get caught cheating during a final exam and get thrown out of the class in front of hundreds of people, and most importantly I got to know one of my best friends Mike.

We then passed the Student Services building and headed to the dorm area, where I lived during my freshman year. While walking around the dorms, almost all of the food venues were closed and only a few students could be seen walking between buildings. The cold and slightly cloudy atmosphere of the day gave Steven an idea of what the vibe was usually like in this part of town.

First we walked through the Village at Centennial Square. While I never lived at the Village myself, I definitely was familiar with it, frequently visiting friends of mine in their beautiful modernized dorms. Part of me regrets not applying to live there my sophomore year.

I also had to take photos of Taza - where I first learned what a gyro was - and the Village Market, where I often stocked up on juice, Top Ramen, and Hot Pockets for my dorm. For a small shop, I felt like they had a really good selection of hot food, snacks and sundries. I remember treating myself to their BLTs with avocado after a really rough day in class.

Once, I visited my classmate at his Village dorm to work on an assignment. I remember being in awe that not only did he and one other guy have a bathroom all to themselves, but that their bathroom was wheelchair accessible and almost large enough to do a cartwheel in. Then a few weeks later when I had to work with him again, I realized he had moved to one of the Marys. According to him, a student at the Village had left a candle burning, which caught other objects in the room on fire and set off the sprinkler system to the point where it flooded his and a few other people’s dorms, causing him to have to move dorms in the middle of the semester. Does anyone else remember that incident taking place?

After that, it was down the stairs and over to the infamous Marys.

While I didn’t walk far enough to photograph Mary Park, I did get the following snap of Mary Ward, or as one of my classmates had so eloquently put it, “Mary Wart.” Now I’m not going to comment on whether or not the building lived up to that name, as I never lived there. I just remember not loving the pizza at Bricks, which looks to still be functioning, but didn’t happen to be open during our visit.

One of my memories of the Marys includes leaning back on my friend’s bed at Mary Park, and seeing the underside of his wall shelves, where dozens of students had carved their names, initials or special messages over the years. I insisted that he add his name to it too before moving out.

A funny memory I have of Mary Ward is lingering around Bricks after picking up my food, hoping to run into this guy who lived in the building, on whom I’d had a major crush ever since I saw him walk around campus in a Rolling Stone’s t-shirt. My tactic to run into him never worked; however I did happen to sit next to him on the Muni during the last month of my senior year. We had a nice conversation and he was just as sweet as I always hoped he’d be.

I couldn’t leave the dorm area without taking a photo of City Eats, or as many of us knew it, Shitty Eats. I spent countless mornings, afternoons and evenings eating here. While I can’t say that on the whole I loved all of my meals here, I did love that there were always several options for things to eat and that cereal was available all day.

I remember that when they switched us over from the conveyor belt for our tray disposal to the revolving tier system, I created a First World Problem meme complaining that we had to start laying our drinking straws down horizontally thanks to the tier system. It got a decent number of shares and likes!

And of course I couldn’t leave without photographing the building I lived in my freshman year: Towers at Centennial Square. I stayed on the 11th floor - which was a Business major floor - with three other girls in a two-bedroom apartment-style dorm. I shared a room with one other girl, Claudia, who is still one of my best friends to this day. I remember showing up in my newly short asymmetrical haircut with little blonde highlights in it, looking out our bay window onto our view of Ingleside, and declaring that I would take advantage of whatever the city had to offer me.

One of my funniest memories of living in the Towers is the time we experienced an earthquake from up on the 11th floor. The building felt more like it was swaying than rattling. A lot of us were unfamiliar with that unique feeling, and some kids on my floor were so baked that when the building started to sway, they began screaming bloody murder.

For the lower level dorms facing the walkway to the rest of campus, it was very common for people to use Post-It notes to create messages and fun pixelated imagery on their bay windows. Being that my dorm faced the opposite direction, we didn’t participate. But it was always fun passing by those windows on my way to class and seeing the text change from season to season. It’s good to know that the tradition is still alive! Although I don’t think I’ve ever before seen a Post-It sign quite like this one we caught a glimpse of during our visit:

Towers - much like the Business building - is a place that gives me a lot of bittersweet feelings. Now that I’m past that chapter in my life, I feel a sense of longing for it. But the more I think about it, the more I remember the difficult times.

How hard it was to learn to live with other people that first year, how much I missed my parents and how afraid I was to be on my own, the time I stayed in my room listening to Zee Avi on blast while crying during my first college breakup, and the sleepless nights spent cramming for tests and overthinking whether or not I was finished with an essay. As insignificant as those problems may sound to late-20s me, I can’t forget how formative getting through those things really was. And how they give me the opportunity to appreciate all of the good memories I had in that building: Coming home from a long day exploring the city and looking out at my 11th story view, making chorizo and eggs at 8PM with Claudia, planning events with the Towers Hall Government and overall, the luxury of not having much to worry about other than my schoolwork.

Walking through campus 5 years after graduation was a really cool experience. Bittersweet with a touch of PTSD here and there, but overall it reminded me of a much simpler time and all of the unique experience that SFSU gave me. While my time there was far from perfect and I can’t say that I own a purple Gator sweatshirt, I am a very proud alumnus.

I wish the best for the current SFSU students and staff members during this very difficult year, and am hoping that it becomes safe to start operating as usual quite soon, so they can all enjoy the beautiful new developments around the campus.

I hope you all enjoyed my little tour of my alma mater. If you’re a student or alumnus, feel free to comment an SFSU memory you won’t soon forget - for better or worse. I’d love to hear them. Until we meet again.