The UC Davis Arboretum: what many students miss most

The Arboretum and Public Garden holds a special place in the hearts of many of our students. They appreciate the beauty of our campus and the feeling of relaxation and reflection that they get from being in the Arboretum.

It’s nice to hear about this connection from the voices of our students, like this recent post from the UC Davis Facebook page.

Original Facebook post

The Arboretum by Hanh Kieu
The Arboretum will always be near and dear to my heart. I go there when I need some time alone. I go there to look at the birds and the bees and all the various flowers scattered across. I go there with friends, late at night, to seek adventure and shooting stars. When I leave Davis, the one thing I will miss the most is the Arboretum.

Comment to post from student Robert Cardinelle:

My very first class at Davis was Constitutional Law, taught by adjunct professor from Bolt Hall at UC Berkeley. The class had at least 300 to 400 students trying to register in first day. The professor called on me audibly that day and by name to recite for him the facts, issues, reasoning, holdings and dissents of a SCOTUS Civil Rights case. I had no idea we were supposed to have read the case. I actually had no idea what he was talking about, or where I would even gain such knowledge. At that moment, I felt like a brightly, blooming imbecile enrolled at the wrong school, and that everybody knew it. He scolded me, saying that I should have come prepared the first day with the first 4 chapters of one of the four texts read, and ready to discuss. I hadn’t even purchased the books yet. After class, I rushed to the Campus Bookstore and purchased the books. I discovered the books to be about 1-1/2 inches think, with 600 plus pages, and written in about a size-6 Book Antigua font (very small). I was devastated. Feeling sick, I put my backpack full of books on, and I pedaled to the Arboretum. I stopped at the pond, next to a grassy-mounded ledge there, retained by a short-height masonry wall that is directly above the boat landing pier. I got off my bike, threw down my books, looked around to make sure no one was watching, looked up at the heavens and wearily wondered, why? Then, I fell down on my face buried it in the grass, and I cried my eyes out. I realized that I was going to fail and wash out of Davis. Well, all that emotion was a bit immature, and premature, because I bit the bullet and stuck it out (with my other classes as well — 18 solid upper division units) and aced that Con-Law class. Ever since then, the arboretum has always been very special place to me in a solemn way. I feel very lucky to have chosen Davis. It is by far the most beautiful campus.

Comment to post from student Allyson Camino:

Almost my thoughts exactly… The arboretum is the slice of nature that keeps me sane amidst the constant demands and busyness of the quarter schedule as well as for self-reflection, re-evaluation, and simply to pause everything down to escape and appreciate its beauty.

 

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