<p>Just wondering, as my son hopes to make it into JHU… are the kids allowed to play football or some other spontaneous ball game on the quad? It may sound like a silly question but I’ve read elsewhere that they are not allowed to do that and thus may take away some of the fun of campus life for him. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>It’s definitely allowed on the freshman quad. I’m not sure about the other 3 quads - I’ve definitely played ultimate on the Decker quad, but I have heard Security stopping people playing football on the upper quad.</p>
<p>In case you’re not familiar with the layout at Hopkins, four of the five freshmen dorms are on the Freshmen quad. There are also three academic quads - the lower quad with a number of engineering buildings, the upper quad with natural science and social sciences and the Decker quad with the admissions building, university administration and more engineering buildings. (The upper and lower quad have real names, but no one uses them and I have no idea what they are)</p>
<p>I don’t know is there is a rule or not, but I certainly have seen cricket games played on Keyser Quadrange (that’s the real name for the upper quad). They use a tennis ball as opposed to a hard cricket ball so as to minimize the damage. Wyman quadrangle (the lower quad) doesn’t really lend itself to sports use because of the criss-crossing pathways. Decker Quadrange is certainly large enough, but it is also a roof (it covers an underground garage) which may be why I suspect that sports use is discouraged. The quadrangle formed by Mudd Hall, McCauley Hall, Dunning Hall and the New Chemistry building is also a roof–covering a nuclear imaging facility. The Beach (the large circular grassy area east of the Eisenhower Library is frequently the site of frisby games, etc. </p>
<p>The best place for a spontaneous game of football is the BIA fields–which you’ve probably never seen as a casual visitor. They are located in the far western part of the campus (Wyman Park, actually) and are accessible by way of a steep path from San Martin Drive (the curvy road that winds its way through the wooded part of campus. That is also where some intermural and club sports (e.g., rugby) are played. BIA actually stands for the Bureau of Intermural Athletics–an organization which hasn’t existed under that name for many years but the name stuck to the fields nontheless. I’ve also seen pick up games in the Wyman Park Dell (across from the Homewood Apartments) although since the Dell is a popular spot for people to walk their dogs, it is not an ideal sports venue. There are also places to play at Johns Hopkins at Eastern–east of Homewood on E.33rd St. That’s where the new varsity track facilities are located.</p>
<p>Thanks tanman and bonanza! That’s some good detailed information I’ll pass along (should my son make it in of course-- fingers crossed:))</p>
<p>I love this question. I wish there were more questions like this on College Confidential than the “chances” threads. And you got two great answers. </p>
<p>From my experiences there is always a ton of athletic activity on the Freshman Quad and the Beach (outside the MSE library). The only sport I have ever seen on the Upper Quad is cricket – as it is the smallest of the quads. I have seen ultimate frisbee, football, and wiffle ball played on the lower quad outside Shriver Hall.</p>
<p>The Decker Quad has become a very active place for intramural sport practice. I have seen soccer, football, wiffle ball, and frisbee. The only time I ever saw a HopCop have a problem was the guy chipping golf balls on the Decker Quad.</p>
<p>I night after dinner at Fresh Food cafe I saw a few freshmen playing golf on the freshman quad. Kind of strange considering that the grass there isn’t top quality for golf. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.</p>