What do you think of Kohlberg’s new look?
Brandon Sorongon ’27: “I don’t like it. I don’t like the new tables. There’s weird dots on the windows.” [Erin Picken: “That’s so birds don’t run into them.”] “Well, not everyone likes birds.”
Joe Fox ’27: “Okay, so I’ve done a lot of research on this. And by research, I mean I’ve sat in every single chair. And I was also surveying people that were sitting in the chairs. I think that the loss of the tall tables is unfortunate. There’s also too much empty space now, which makes it feel less cozy. There’s also less seating, which is a little unfortunate. The chairs being more stable in general is nice. The cushions on the slabs or whatever is definitely a ‘Post No Bills’ situation, just to, you know, get people to stop posting bills, which is really unfortunate. On the other slabs, I do like the cushions. I like everything that’s on the carpet. Okay, actually, I like the big cushioned chairs, but I wish the arms of them were not wooden. But I liked how big the other chairs are and there are less of them, which is a little unfortch.”
Emily Takamoto ’29: “I don’t know what Kohlberg looked like before. It looks fine now. I couldn’t tell that they renovated it, which I guess might be a good sign.”
Saleh Haider ’28: “There’s nothing much changed in Kohlberg. I guess the chairs are a bit different … I found last year’s ones were a bit more comfortable, a bit more engaging, too.”
Fanuel Dana ’26: “The thing is I don’t usually go to Kohlberg. I didn’t realize people hung out and studied there. I guess I usually get tikka masala there but I’m trying to cut down on the tikka masala right now, so I have no reason to go to Kohlberg.”
Cassidy Brown ’28: “Contrary to what most people like, I’m a Sci Cafe girl, so I haven’t been there yet.”
Chloe Lee ’28: “I’ve been in Kohlberg a lot since it reopened, and when I look at just the side with the wooden chairs it’s fine. But as soon as I turn around and see the patterned couches, it hurts my eyes a little bit. They’re pretty ugly. I guess I’m just glad that Kohlberg reopened.”
What is your Co-Op order?
Brandon Sorongon ’27: “The sushi, because the hot sandwiches take too long.”
Joe Fox ’27: “The William Tell. It’s a cold sandwich, so it’s premade. Because I hate waiting.”
Cassidy Brown ’28: “I get the Pig in a Beret. There’s apple, brie, ham … It’s very good.”
Chloe Lee ’28: “I usually get a sandwich. It’s usually either the Great Eggspectations or the Fifty Shades. I feel like they’re pretty dependable, they taste the same every time. I’m just sad that they got dramatically smaller this year. I feel like I’m getting ripped off, and it makes me sad. But it’s okay.”
What is your biggest campus pet peeve?
Emily Takamoto ’29: “Walk slow and block the hallways.”
Saleh Haider ’28: “When people study for eight straight hours and then still say, ‘Oh I haven’t done anything, I have so much work. I’m gonna get screwed, I don’t know what to do.’”
Fanuel Dana ’26: “This one’s difficult, there’s just too many, you know. I think people don’t just hang out over the weekend. There’s always this need to not be on campus, it’s pretty empty. But I’m like, ‘It’s a nice day out…’”
Cassidy Brown ’28: “The hill. The whole campus is just one big hill. I have a class that ends at 12:35 p.m. and then another one that begins at 1:05 … It’s a comp sci lab. It was a choice that they made when making the schedules.”
Chloe Lee ’28: “The construction. You know the path when you’re going up Magill Walk and you want to cut through near McCabe? Well sometimes it will be closed but they won’t tell you until you walk halfway up and then they send you back.” [Chloe’s friend: “That’s why you gotta watch someone else who goes before you and then you can see if it’s open.”] “Well sometimes I like to be the one who travels down the road less traveled.”
Zuyuan Zhou ’29: “When there’s a car coming down the pathways. Because I can’t listen to my music, I have to be alert.”
What stereotypes have you heard about Swarthmore students, and are they true?
Joe Fox ’27: “Um, yes. They are true. All of them. That they’re weird, that no one likes them that much, that it’s hard for us to get, like, real jobs.”
Emily Takamoto ’29: “That people study all the time here. And it’s pretty true.”
Saleh Haider ’28: “When I applied to Swarthmore I heard that there wasn’t much social life at Swarthmore and there are students who go here who haven’t even seen Philly in four years. And when I got to know people here, that was so true. The train is right over there and in four years they haven’t even gone into the city.”
Fanuel Dana ’26: “I think everybody grinds. I think people just generally care about grades and stuff like that. The people who know Swat know that you have to work hard.”
Cassidy Brown ’28: “To quote my professor literally two days ago, the unofficial Swarthmore motto is, ‘Keep it Weird.’ I enjoy Swarthmore very much, but it’s a bunch of very nerdy people … which is why I’m here. The school definitely lives up to that motto.”
Chloe Lee ’28: “I feel like the main one is ‘Swawkward,’ you know, quirky, weird. I would say it is true, but not in a bad way. It’s in a very endearing way — I like that we’re all just together.”
