Stilted Swingers: Legacy of the North Lawn Swing

Camryn Sanchez ’21

Students on swings, circa 1960s. Photographer: Gary Gladstone from College Archives

As we near the end of 2020, only seniors remember the swing set that was removed from the North Lawn in April 2018.  

On April 12, 2018, the Sarah Lawrence student body received an ominous email from Assistant Vice President for Campus Operations and Facilities Mo Gallagher, with the subject line: “Need to temporarily stop the swinging!” The email explained that the swing set would be removed the next day due to structural deficiencies. 

“Don’t panic. I promise we will have a swing set on campus,” Gallagher said, explaining that the Committee on Student Life was collaborating with her and Dean of Student Life Danny Trujillo to find a new location for the swings in the “heart of campus.” 

“I realize the swing set is beloved by many on campus, myself included,” said Gallagher. “I want to assure you that a new swing set will be installed as soon as we secure estimates, find the best location and confirm contractor work schedules.”

Now, two and a half years later, students are still wondering what has become of the swing set.

“It was a draw as a potential student when I was touring campus,” said Madison Rosandich ’20. “This college having a swing set was appealing to me as a student who was looking for a comfortable environment to come to.”

Rosandich never swung again before her graduation last spring.

In 2019, Trujillo said that the swing set replacement was still under discussion among him, the Committee on Student life, Gallagher,  and Vice President for Finance and Operations, Steve Schafer (who declined to comment). Perhaps they are still deciding on a location, though this seems unlikely as Committee for Student Life faculty member David Hollander confirms the swing set “has not  come up” in a meeting since he joined last spring.

The initial reason for removal was that the City of Yonkers determined it was a safety violation. The swing set, which had been on campus for at least 50 years according to Trujillo, was also deemed too close to the asphalt walkway in front of Westlands, meaning it can never return to the same spot.

Students socializing on the swings and on the north lawn, May 1992. Photographer: Brian Ashleywhite '92 from College Archives

After a few years without updates, many first years, sophomores, and juniors are unaware that there ever was a swing set on campus. 

Meaghan Bonds ’22 has never experienced it. “I didn’t realize for a while that we had one,” said Bonds. “But when I found out that it was gone and I missed out, I was very sad.” 

Many seniors share the disappointment.

“I think that all the little things that make Sarah Lawrence special and individual are starting to disappear, and it’s mostly because of the campus center, but I feel that the swing set was the first instance of that,” said Elle Aversa ‘21, referencing the loss of other student spaces such as the Black Squirrel, the Pub, the Heimbold Cafe, and the Library Cafe in addition to the swings over the past four years.

Trujillo said that the administration is unsure whether they want to replace the swings with another swing set, but are considering a more accessible gliding bench, which is a mechanism with a still frame and a bench seat that gently rocks forward and backwards. 

Rosandich ’20 said of this proposed alternative: “The administration is kind of doing what it wants regardless of the student opinion and then making excuses for the students for why they’re doing it their way.”

“I think Sarah Lawrence’s identity that it had when I came here and first wanted to go to the school is going away,” Aversa said.

Students Socializing Outdoors, circa 1970s. Photographer: Unknown from Archives