Last week, Nathan Brand made a ringing (pun intended) critique of what he deemed the “noisy monstrosity” that is the air hockey table (“Remove the air hockey table,” Nov.13). While I can appreciate Brand’s desire for peace and quiet, his argument is fundamentally misguided.
Even the table’s staunchest proponents concede that it produces noise. The question is whether said noise demands the table’s removal. I say it does not.
In comparison to the other campus buildings, the Grewcock Student Union is certainly, as Brand noted, a place to “study, eat, pray, and enjoy each other’s company.” It is not the only place for these pursuits, however. Studying is possible anywhere on campus (including bathroom stalls five minutes before an exam). For a quieter place to study than the union, the library, with three Dantean levels of quiet to choose from, easily suffices. Prayer, meanwhile, can and should happen anywhere and everywhere, regardless of conditions; there are also numerous retreats (including a chapel) for those seeking quiet meditation.
Brand’s final enumerated use for the union hits upon its most valuable aspect: As a place to enjoy others’ company. While he argues that the air hockey table inhibits such enjoyment, in truth, it enhances it. Witness the mass of people so often thronged around it. The table unites people, both to play and to spectate; in doing so, it fulfills the union’s very purpose. The building’s very name — Grewcock Student Union — designates it a location for student socialization. We see this daily, from casual conversations around the fireplace, to frequent (and often loud) viewings of sporting or political events on the many TVs. These activities form a community within the union that gives rest from studies and reminds us of student life’s vibrancy, if one allows these small moments to happen.
So while the air hockey table is noisy, it does not detract from student life, but rather enhances it. While we may not all play air hockey, we all occasionally need a break from studies to engage with our campus community. Removing the air hockey table would deprive us of a valuable form of social engagement. Therefore, I say, let the table stay.
