A former student has recorded the Rose Garden and has described it as a “silent” area, one that serves as “a quiet refuge from the noise of the campus”. I disagree with this analysis, and instead see the Rose Garden as a crossroads for much of campus life. As someone who lives by the edge of the Rose Garden, I can say that I have heard a surprisingly diverse range of noises enter my room through my two windows.

My room is located right next to a side entrance of the building, the “Rose Garden entrance”. The door beeps loudly every time students enter from this door, but even before that, I usually hear voices or footsteps of students approaching the door. The beeping door is probably the first thing I hear every morning. Later in the day, I can hear the loud rumbling of leaf blowers, and maintenance people working hard to keep the area beautiful. When the sun finally sets, especially on the weekends, the Rose Garden does not fade back into silence but instead becomes an intersection of many 5C students heading to, from, and through Scripps.

This is a recording of the Rose Garden on a Saturday night.