Building Blueprints Series: Taylor Education Building, Dickey Hall and Reynolds Building

Nicole Brown, Marketing Intern Coordinator

Welcome to the Building Blueprint series!

Just joining us? Check out The Annex Building Blueprint, The Barker and Frazee Building Blueprint and The Erikson and Funkhouser Building Blueprint.

This time, we’re focusing on three buildings on the edge of campus, across South Upper Street: Taylor Education Building, Dickey Hall and the Reynolds Building. After reading, be sure to watch the video tour, with Samantha as your guide.

Taylor Education Building

If you’re standing in front of Whitehall or Patterson Office Tower, facing the front of either building, Taylor Ed is a straight-shot to your left. Walk away from this central area of campus and down the path through the main lawn, then straight across South Limestone and South Upper (which requires two separate cross walks). Taylor Ed is the large brick building directly in front of you. The building is situated on Scott Street, with Arby’s right down the road to your left, and Fire Department Station #6 across the street.

Built to house the College of Education around 1930 and named after the Dean of the college at the time, the Taylor Education Building is still home to the College of Education offices, classrooms and advising. It’s also one of the buildings where a lot of miscellaneous classes seem to take place. One semester, I had a 300-level Spanish class in an upstairs classroom, and the class directly before mine was 100-level math. There are also a few computer lab classrooms in the right-most hallway of the building. Larger, lecture classes, and sometimes guest speakers, are hosted in the auditorium on the first floor.

In addition to being a main College of Education Building, Taylor Ed is home to Wildcat Student TV: the studio is in the back of the building. This student-run station provides hands-on experience for students going into television and film, but all are welcome to participate! You can start by filling out this involvement form.

Hidden necessities: There are many entrances to Taylor Ed and many different options for stairs once you’re inside. It’s also a rather winding and confusing building that is difficult to describe. My recommendation is to always allow extra time to find what you’re looking for, and to start from the central entrance on the front of the building—it’s the one that will be straight ahead after crossing South Upper.

Dickey Hall

Instead of going straight across South Limestone and then South Upper, cross South Limestone and then take the sidewalk towards the left before crossing South Upper. Walk straight past Taylor Ed and you’ll find Dickey Hall on the right. An overhang and a small outdoor seating area also connect the two buildings.

Built in 1964 and named after the fifth president of the University of Kentucky, Frank G. Dickey, the building holds additional classrooms used for both College of Education courses and other courses as needed. Dickey Hall is also home to the Education Library and EDUKATE Café. If you prefer peace and quiet when you study, give the Education Library a try! It’s less crowded than many of the larger libraries.

EDUKATE is new and the only dining facility in the Scott Street area. EDUKATE does not accept meal swipes, but does take Flex and Plus. Their primary offerings include breakfast or lunch sandwiches, paninis and Mexican options, plus various grab-and-go foods.

Hidden necessities: After you enter through the door closest to Taylor Education Building, EDUKATE is down the down the hall and on the right. There are stairwells on either end of the building, and you’ll find the elevators smack dab in the middle. The faculty lounge is on the first floor, too, and sometimes there are guest speakers scheduled there, or even classes that meet there. The Scott Street parking lot, with both commuter and faculty parking, is across the street from Dickey Hall. There are often spots available, so if you have any valid permit, it’s a good place to try for parking when the lots open to permit holders at 3:30 p.m. Additional employee and metered parking spots are located behind Dickey Hall.

Reynolds Building

The Reynolds Building is actually a group of three individual buildings that are so close together they seem like one building. Reynolds Building #1, farthest from Scott Street, is the most utilized of the three buildings. When people refer to “Reynolds Building,” they almost always mean the one officially called Reynolds Building #1.

The buildings are brick with a ton of windows and used to be tobacco warehouses, so they look pretty outdated. The buildings are on Scott Street—keep walking past Dickey Hall and they will be on your right. Take the gravel pathway to the metal bridge, and you’ll be at the main door. The door enters in a stairwell. If you can locate Newtown’s bridge to campus, the gravel path is directly across the street from it.

The buildings provide studio space, and are used for many School of Art and Visual Studies classes, especially Art Studio (A-S) courses. Reynolds 206 is also home to the Raymond Barnhart Gallery, the primary student art exhibition space on the second floor.

As Reynolds Building is very outdated, a new art building is in the works. In the near future, University Lofts will become the campus’ main art space. $8 million in renovations to the University Lofts on Bolivar Street will transform the space from lofts into classrooms, art studios and a new home for the Barnhart Gallery. Renovations will upgrade the building to be suitable to house art studios, including better ventilation, better lighting and modern, easily accessible amenities (like restrooms), all of which will be a vast improvement over the current Reynolds Building space.

Hidden necessities: Be sure to plan sufficient time to get to and from Reynolds Building, and to find your way around inside the building! It’s a fifteen-minute walk from Whitehall and at least thirty minutes from South Campus. Also note that you’ll probably feel like you’re lost when you reach the buildings. They are very run-down and don’t look like any other building on UK’s campus. The side of Reynolds that is closest to Dickey Hall and campus is actually the back of the building, but it’s also the most commonly used entrance. From this entrance, bathrooms are straight through the warehouse and up the stairs to the left. Reynolds also tends to be hot, so you’ll want to dress in layers.

Explore Taylor Education Building, Dickey Hall and Reynolds Building for yourself, and be sure to let us know if we left something out!

UK's Global Scholar Program: The World is Ready. Are You?

Madalena Pierangelino, Marketing Intern

It was an ordinary summer night when I made a decision that would change the rest of my life. I was sitting in my backyard during my senior year of high school, roasting marshmallows on the fire and talking to my life-long neighbor, who, at the time, was a student at the University of Kentucky (UK). She knew in the upcoming months I would have to make an important decision: which college to attend. I had already been accepted to UK and Furman, but I was utterly torn, so she was advising me on how to make the best choice and what I could expect from UK. Talking about her own experience, she mentioned things I already knew about: tailgating, large classes, joining a sorority and, of course, UK basketball.

But one thing she mentioned stood out in particular – the Global Scholars Program. It was a unique business honors program unlike any other I had heard about. It included an array of ways to get involved and a semester of studying abroad, which had been a dream of mine ever since visiting my relatives in Argentina. I applied to the program that night, was accepted two months later, and my decision became easy. Looking back over the last four years, I realize that going to UK and joining the Global Scholars Program was the best decision I could have made.

When August of my freshman year finally arrived, I attended the Global Scholar orientation. I was a shy, nervous freshman and out of the 40 new students, I knew no one. I awkwardly tried to start a conversation with the girl I was sitting next to (she was just as awkward as I was, but it’s okay to say that, since now she is one of my best friends.) Then the senior Global Scholars proceeded to make their way on stage to present their experiences abroad. Some had gone to South America, others Europe, and some even China. Their amazing stories made it clear that a one-week vacation was not enough to capture the true essence of another culture. I couldn’t help but feel excited for my future travels.

Unfortunately, I had to wait what seemed like a never-ending two years to leave the country. But, in the mean time, I took advantage of other Global Scholar opportunities to volunteer in the Lexington community, and I happened to make some friends along the way. One of my favorite memories is when I attempted to get all 10 of the required service hours in one night by joining the Global Scholar Relay for Life team. What began as fun, “glob” bonding quickly turned into a cold, muddy, midnight walk around the Johnson Center fields. But, the announcers made a valid point - all those fighting cancer were going through a much more difficult time. We then gathered around for a candlelight vigil to remember those who had passed away. That part really hit me - hard. I realized that walking around the track was more than bonding with friends; it was saving lives and making a difference to others in the community. I felt touched, inspired, and ready to find other ways to volunteer.

Soon after, I started to volunteer at the Lexington Village Branch Library, a place where primarily young Hispanic children go for after-school tutoring. I had taken Spanish in high school, but did not use it very often. While at the library, I found out two things. One, that I frequently had to use Spanish to communicate; and two, that I loved using the language as a bridge between cultures. Without hesitation, I added a Spanish major to my diploma. Yet despite the great Spanish classes at UK, I knew the only way to become fluent was to live in a Spanish speaking country. And so, the intensive search for my future study abroad location began. 

Months of research finally narrowed it down to two countries: Peru and Spain - two completely different locations, cultures and Spanish accents. Did I want to go off the beaten path to South America or travel Europe? My decision: both! No one in the history of the program had ever gone abroad for an entire year before, but my best friend (remember that awkward girl at orientation?) and I were determined to make it happen. So we did! And we got the best of both worlds.

I spent my first semester in Lima, Peru, a giant, roaring city with 10 million inhabitants. There I stayed with a Peruvian family that ended up becoming like my real family. I tried local cuisine like guinea pig and alpaca. And I went to school with Peruvian students where I was the only blonde in the entire class! Besides the language barrier, certain cultural differences like time made group projects challenging - Peruvians would talk for hours before ever coming up with an answer! Their priorities were different and a big part of going abroad was learning to be flexible. Beyond academics, I had once in a lifetime experiences – I witnessed the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, swam with pink dolphins, fished for piranhas in the Amazon River, and cruised in buggies around a desert oasis.

(Me while I explore the ruins of Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.)

The comparison between cultures only grew once I went to Europe in the spring semester. Though many people gasped at the fact that I was missing basketball season, I would not trade the experience for anything. Living in the little city of Granada, Spain, I had a historical Moorish palace in my backyard and a grocery store in my basement. I immersed myself in the romantic language and learned to adapt to the Spanish lifestyle of midday siestas, three-hour lunches, and late night tapa bar hopping (tapas are small Spanish plates of food that come with every drink you order, basically like a free meal!)

(The Alhambra, a Moorish palace and UNESCO World Heritage Site, towers beautifully over Granada, Spain.)

Taking what I had read in my Spanish textbooks and applying it in a real life setting over the course of my year abroad made my entire education come full circle. Most of all I gained confidence and independence as I learned how to reach out and relate to others from divergent backgrounds.

Returning to UK was a hard transition. To be honest, all I wanted to do was leave and go back to my foreign homes. I realized that my view of the world had broadened, and the American things I once loved (like oversized lattés and driving my own car) had actually become foreign to me. People had different interests, too. I found it harder to care about formals and fraternities when I was focused on my Spanish friends and Peruvian family. But, like all things, it got better with time, and I started to remember all the reasons I came to UK in the first place, the Global Scholars Program being one of them. The program has allowed me to go places I never imagined and to discover qualities in myself I never knew existed. I am traveling to Argentina over Christmas break. And, I now plan to one-day live abroad - in Spain, Peru or perhaps somewhere new - and I have to thank UK and the Global Scholars Program for making the rest of my life story an interesting one. The world is ready, and now so am I.

For more information on the Global Scholar Program visit:

http://gatton.uky.edu/Undergraduates/Content.asp?PageName=UGlobalScholars

New Year's Eve: Countdown of the World's 12 Most Interesting Traditions

Madalena Pierangelino, Marketing Intern 

3… 2… 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR! The famous countdown as we wait for the clock to strike 12 happens only once a year, but it is surprisingly not the only way to ring in the New Year. New Years, the chance to start a new year and new goals, is one of the only holidays that the entire world shares. Almost every country has its own defining tradition that creates a new exceptional meaning to this day. In Spain, they eat grapes. In Brazil, they wear brightly colored underpants. And there are many more bizarre traditions out there. Let’s countdown this New Year’s with twelve of the most interesting celebrations that will be occurring around the world this January 1^st.

12. Philippines

From circular fruits to polka dots, Filipinos believe the shape of the circle represents prosperity. Round fruits and sweet candies are set as centerpieces and believed to bring a sweeter year. And people sport polka dots for a touch of extra good luck! At midnight it is also common to throw coins in the air to enhance wealth.

  

11. Japan

Spend December 31^st in Japan and you will have your day already planned out. The normal routine consists of cleaning the house to purify the year to come, eating long noodles to symbolize a long life (which seems to work considering they are home to some of the oldest people in the world), watching a popular singing contest, and visiting the temple. At midnight, Buddhist temples throughout the country chime their bells a whopping 108 times. The reason behind the large number lies in the long-standing Buddhist belief that there are 108 human sins. So, each ringing of the bell is said to rid the sins of the year before.

10. Spain

In Spain you will find crowds squeezed together in all the main plazas with grapes and sparkling wine in hand. At midnight the Spanish quickly gobble one grape at each of the 12 chimes. Each grape symbolizes one month of good luck in the year to come.  

(My sister who lived in Madrid, Spain celebrated New Years with fresh grapes in the Plaza Mayor.)

9. Denmark

The Danish ring in the New Year literally by throwing plates and glasses against the doors of friends’ and families’ houses. They also get a jump-start to the year by physically leaping off chairs as the clock strikes twelve, supposedly swearing off bad spirits and bringing good fortune.

8. South Africa

If you are walking through downtown Johannesburg on NYE, heads up! Residents like to take the term “out with the old, in with the new!” literally by throwing their old, used appliances out the window.

7. Estonia

This eastern European country has a hearty appetite. On New Years Day, citizens try to eat a total of seven times. Men who eat this much are said to have the strength of seven men and it ensures that the household will have a plentiful year of food.

6. Finland

In Finland on New Years, a common custom is dipping a molten piece of tin into a cup of water and then interpreting it. The metal takes different shapes and reflects certain meanings. If you see a heart or ring shape, expect a wedding, a ship means upcoming travels and the form of a pig signifies a prosperous, food-filled year.

5. Colombia

On New Years Eve in Colombia it looks like the entire country is packing up and leaving, but really the suitcases are completely empty! The legend states that if you carry an empty suitcase around the block, it will bring you a year full of adventurous travels.  

4. Scotland

Don’t let the skirts fool you; the Scots celebrate the new year with the very manly act of swinging giant fireballs. People from all over the world come to see the townsmen parade down the streets in their kilts and poles with flaming ends, which symbolize the sun and are believed to purify the year to come.

3. Panama

Muñecos are imitations of real-life people that Panamanians burn in a New Years bonfire. The hand-made life-size dolls often represent world-famous celebrities. In the past they have burned celebs like Michael Jackson, TV-stars like “Ugly Betty’s” America Ferrera and political figureheads like Fidel Castro. It sounds violent, but it is actually a flattering gesture. The muñecos serve as a symbol of the old year, and burning them scares away evil spirits to start the new year spiritually fresh.

2. Belarus

In Belarus, New Years Day revolves around games for unmarried women in order to predict who will get married the upcoming year. In one traditional game, girls sit around a circle with a pile of corn in front of them and a rooster is let loose. Whichever corn pile the rooster runs to first is the lucky future bride!

1. Brazil, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela

Most people use New Years as an excuse to dress up and wear sequins, but in these four countries the key to your New Years outfit is unseen – your fashion statement is your underwear. The color of your under garments determine your goals. If you are searching for passion you wear red, for good health wear blue, for happiness white, and if money is on your mind you wear the yellow, which seems to be the most popular choice.

Happy New Year!

It seems that with each years end, there is a wacky way to bring a brand new beginning. Whether you want love, good luck, food or fortune, there is a myriad of options to celebrate. Some countries’ traditions may seem stranger than others, but at the end of the day, no matter the language or the tradition, we all share the same optimistic phrase – Happy New Year!

Learn more here.