campus culture?

I’m mom to a recently admitted student. When touring SCU recently, we found a lot to like. While the campus is beautiful, I found it to be almost too beautiful. I didn’t see signs of the typical student creativity and counterculture that are evident at the other colleges that we’re considering. Where are the boards and kiosks plastered in home made signs for student groups at SCU? Why are the boards and displays that we saw in the residence halls and other campus buildings so perfect and clean? There’s a “corporate” vibe to the campus that isn’t typical of other colleges on our list. I left feeling concerned that SCU may be a very top-down campus with too much control by administrators for the kind of campus life I’d like for my student, who has a lot of choices including some that are far higher ranked for academics. There’s something we really liked about SCU, and I find that we’re now considering it more seriously than I’d expected as this was a “safety school” on our list. I’d love to hear from some students or families familiar with SCU who are not admissions staff. Thanks!

Related question: Are there student protest movements at SCU such as a “divest” movement, which is common at other colleges?

Interesting questions and observations. I would like to read a few informed responses, too.

@303mama, I’ll admit that I’m a commuter student, so I might be slightly more removed than a typical student on campus. That being said, we do have student protest movements at SCU. I’m not sure how common, but one of the prominent ones this year was the walk of solidarity for undocumented students. I’m not sure how to answer the “corporate culture” vibe because I’m a student in the business school, so my view of the world is more business-like. I personally think we have a lot of freedom in regards to student life - administrators don’t really control student life, the students do.

In regards to a super clean and orderly campus, I think that is one of the positive aspects of SCU. A lot of maintenance goes to the campus grounds on a daily basis (it might be slightly overkill), and signs for student groups are viewed on cork boards in high density areas - you can view them near classrooms.