Flashback
35 years ago this week
Governors Complex
Thirty-five years ago this week, UB's North Campus officially opened—only three years behind schedule. More than 800 students, alternatively called pioneers and trailblazers, moved into the brand-new Governors Complex in the first week of September. Designed by architect I.M Pei, Governors received decidedly mixed reviews from its inaugural residents. According to the Sept. 6, 1973 issue of the Reporter, students praised the carpeted lounges (complete with black-and-white televisions and pool tables); the bright, airy rooms; and the intimacy of the dining hall. They disliked, however, the isolation, "ugly surroundings" and the fact that there were only four kitchens for student cooking in the complex. Students received a 10 percent ($65) reduction in residence hall bills to compensate for these "hardships."
The first year on North Campus was tumultuous, but as the 1974 “Buffalonian” reports, "the difficulties of living on the Amherst Campus seem to have knit the residents more closely together. Several lost students have commented on the friendliness of Amherst residents who've helped them find their way. A surprising number intend to return next year."
—Karen Walton Morse, University Archives
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