The Breezeway, or Florida Atlantic University’s “Main Street” serves as the heart of FAU’s Boca Raton campus—spanning from the food court to the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. This outdoor hallway opened with the university in September 1964. It connects various buildings on campus, making it easier for students to get from class to class without baking under the Florida sun.
The Boca Raton Army Air Field used to occupy FAU’s Boca Raton campus, its construction driven by a surge in demand for higher education following World-War II, according to FAU archives. Staff originally conceptualized the Breezeway as a place to unify the four main parts of FAU’s 850-acre space.
Larry Faerman, FAU’s vice president of Student Affairs, has worked at the university for over 25 years. He shared that the Breezeway has always been integral to the student body.
“Student organization tabling on the Breezeway is what campus life and the campus experience have historically been defined by. There are days you have to walk around the Breezeway to get from the Breezeway cafeteria to Campus Recreation,” said Faerman. “The energy and excitement always remind me why I work with students.”
The reimagining of the Breezeway
In April 2014, former FAU President John Kelly announced “Reinventing the Breezeway,” a project aimed to renovate the Breezeway with new lighting, concrete repairs and red and blue FAU branding. Students, staff and alumni had the chance to weigh in on these changes.
Faerman noted that the renovation led students to find unconventional ways to navigate campus.
“There were a number of wayfinding signs that had to be established; the way we did ‘Need Help? Just Ask!’ changed, and there was a new sideway installed across from the library, which, while initially meant to be temporary, is still there,” said Faerman.
Community perspectives
Scott Wolfson, faculty advisor for the Boca Raton campus chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, believes the Breezeway is a great place for students of different backgrounds to connect.
“We have many different nationalities and ethnicities here, students of different backgrounds, and it’s great to see such vibrance and community here in the Breezeway,” said Wolfson.
FAU alumna Rebecca Casey regularly sets up on the Breezeway to sell handmade keychains and bracelets.
“I’ve met so many people who are from different places and have different backgrounds… It’s such a great place for everyone to meet and just get to know each other and their different cultures,” Casey said.
Many student-run organizations frequently set up tables on the Breezeway to reach students and offer opportunities to involved and connect with peers who share similar interests. FAU’s student-run chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is no exception.
“You have to go through the Breezeway. It’s the most convenient way to get anything done,” said Stephen Arnoux, sophomore and membership co-chair of FAU’s NAACP.
Zane Cunningham, FAU sophomore business major, works with Cru, a Christian student organization set up on the Breezeway. His now-best friend had invited him to join while he was walking on the Breezeway last year. He described how, compared to other places on campus, he can always count on the Breezeway to have people approach Cru’s table.
“We appreciate the Breezeway because there is so much traffic, and if we can say something like, ‘Hey, would you like to grab a water or maybe a cookie?’ in exchange, they let us talk to them for a few seconds,” said Cunningham.
Sophomore vice president of Haitian student organization Konbit Kreyol, Joudeline Jeanlis, revealed the Breezeway’s representation of campus diversity and traditions.
“It’s a tradition to table on the Breezeway and we use it to kind of continue being a part of FAU’s culture while also keeping our other members in the loop,” she said. “It also shows how diverse FAU can be because you see so many people from all different backgrounds in that one area.”
Lauren Oback is the assistant director of the Broward and Palm Beach County branch of Hillel, a Jewish student life organization situated right off of the Breezeway in the Levine Weinberger Center for Jewish Life. She sees the Breezeway as a unique communal zone compared to other schools she has worked at, such as Lynn and Nova Southeastern University.
“There are other universities that are so spread out; there isn’t that main street, like the Breezeway that we have here. It is a blessing for our university. I’ve heard students call it FAU’s I-95,” Oback said. “Students have to take it to and from classes, dorms and parking, and it gives them a taste of what’s happening on campus just by walking through it.”
This article was originally published in the UP’s recent print issue, “Unmasking the Facts: Things you may not know about FAU.” Pick up the issues around campus or in the Student Union room 214.
Gabriela Quintero is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this story or others, contact her at [email protected]
Juanita Olarte is a Contributing Writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this story or others, contact her at [email protected]
