Friendship at University Square
During final exams for ASL’s Conversational Discourse class, students participated in a scavenger hunt that included a stop at a special installation in University Square, where “friendship” can be found in 141 different languages. When reflecting on the assignment, students had this to say about their time exploring the exhibit:
“The most memorable part for me was finding the ASL and Braille stones at the University Square on High St. I had seen the stones with words in passing, but never stopped to read anything.”
“One clue from the scavenger hunt I really enjoyed was the location with all of the different languages of our friends. I had no idea that was even there, let alone an ASL square!”
“Another detail I wanted to point out was when we went to the off campus area for the signed 'Friendship' photo. I had never really paid attention to these languages or perceived words on the tile by the 'hangout' area near High Street. Now that we had a chance to go to that part, paying attention and noticing the sign for Friendship on the floor was truly an eye-opening experience. I had never realized that was there!”
“I have walked down the street so many times before, but I had never really noticed or paid any attention to the concrete slabs with the different languages engraved on them. I didn't know that was a thing, let alone that there was one with an ASL sign etched into it! I will definitely be showing my friends every time we pass it from now on. It almost felt like finding a personal hidden gem around campus.”
“I also liked finding the sign on the sidewalk and seeing it there with the other languages. While I have walked down there a couple of times, I never have stopped and looked for each individual language before.”
