There is so much more to Tabler Quad than a bunch of stairs and a Dunkin’ Donuts. Tabler brings a refreshingly artistic flavor to a university geared toward science. The quad proves that arts, culture and humanities (ACH) play a big role at Stony Brook. But do these three things themselves play a role, or does the Undergraduate College of Arts, Culture, and Humanities play a role?
Each year, Tabler finds a theme to bring together the elements of arts, culture and humanities in its 101 class for freshmen. Last year’s theme was “The Culture of Philanthropy.” It involved students creating a fundraising campaign to raise awareness about a charitable organization while finding how it relates to arts, culture and humanities. The upcoming theme takes an interesting spin of finding “The Culture of Voting.”
Mike Costa, a sophomore psychology major, was part of last year’s winning group, which orchestrated a photo shoot to raise money for its charity (either add the Charity name or write “for charity”). “It was interesting how we got to integrate photography with our project,” Costa said. The project attracted many of the students in Tabler who share an interest in photography.
While the freshman 101 projects are done in the fall, a 102 seminar is required in the following spring semester. The point of these courses is to offer students the opportunity to continue to meet their peers and faculty members who share similar intellectual interests. Some of the 102 seminars offered for ACH include Digital Humanities, Talking Hands: How Sign Languages Work, The Language and Culture of Naples, Contemporary Spain, Filthy Shakespeare and Cultural Enigmas.
Gabby Santomauro, a sophomore nursing major and a resident of Dreiser College, took ‘The Language and Culture of Naples’ and “absolutely loved it”. “We talked about the all the history and culture of the city,” Santomauro said. “The class also touched upon the Neapolitan mafia and all the different arts of the city.”
Other than the classes offered in Tabler, there is something else that stands out and makes the quad vibrant. “Everyone living in Tabler is quirky and has something interesting about them,” Costa said. People can be seen in the middle of the quad performing music, hula hooping or casually painting. “Each person has their own thing, whether it’s music, art, the way they dress or just their personality.” Costa, who used to sport pink hair, feels comfortable around his peers in more than just the fashion sense. Costa identifies as being pansexual and is at ease in his quad thanks to the high level of promoted tolerance. “It’s one of the really good things about living in Tabler. Everyone is open-minded, and I’ve never felt unaccepted in any way.”
Tabler’s undergraduate website promotes the Stand Up Against Bullying and Homophobia program. Luke Fontana, a junior sociology major, was one of the Stony Brook chapter’s founders and was the executive board secretary during his freshman year. Fontana is confident that the program took off well since Tabler is a quad for self-expression. “I commend the other quads for their participation in this program, but I think it being started in ACH made it most successful.”
Fontana keeps himself involved in all Tabler has to offer. He acted in a couple of one act plays in the Tabler Arts Center (TAC) Black Box Theater. He feels his college experience would have been different had he been in any other quad. “Being in ACH helped me come out of my shell and apply myself to what Stony Brook had to offer and meet all the opportunities.”
