The Leader’s Campus Map: Best Spots on Campus

Tips for Napping on Campus

The best way to take a nap while on campus is to come prepared. Keep a pillow and blanket in your car in case you need to squeeze a nap in during the protected hour. If you don’t want to be bothered during your slumber, the Z’s on the map are marked in the parking lots where you get the best car nap of your life.

Even Elmhurst University President Troy VanAken keeps a cot in his office. If you’re open to dozing off in public however, feel free to take a power nap wherever your heart desires… Just don’t snore too loudly.

Best Spots for Studying

Studying habits and spots alike are unique to every person. Just like how people take their coffee, everyone has their own little way of making it work.

If you want a quiet place to sit and get some work done, the spots labeled with a smiley face on the map will suit you well. The basement in Koplin is usually pretty dead during the protected hour, and as long as there aren’t any big events happening at the Founders Lounge, the Frick Center is usually a nice place to sit unbothered.

Best Spots for Eating

If you want to get something to eat while on campus, the options are a tad limited. There are plenty of vending machines sprinkled around various areas of the university, especially in most academic buildings. There are also many great restaurants in downtown Elmhurst, if you’re willing and able to get away from campus for a bite to eat.

The spots marked with the green fork and knife on our map are places and buildings where you can sit at a table and enjoy your food either peacefully by yourself or socially with a group. The cafeteria in the basement of the Frick Center can be intimidating for newcomers to approach by themselves, but if you want to meet new people, this is also a great place to start.

Best Spots for Smoking

The university’s Student Handbook does not permit anyone under the legal age of consumption to possess or partake in the use of tobacco or nicotine products. If you are the age of 21 or over, you are in luck! There are ashtrays built and stationed outside of most campus building entrances.

When considering what makes a good smoking spot, you have to consider how many people will be around you. Most people who don’t smoke also don’t want to catch the secondhand smoke near you and don’t want to smell like cigarettes either. So, these spots have plenty of spaced-out seating areas and aren’t usually too busy.

Everywhere on the map with the red star has at least two ashtrays nearby to dispose of your cigarette butts. These spots are also all near seating areas, so you can enjoy doomscrolling or even reading a book while indulging in a nicotine buzz. We at The Leader are not including these spots as a persuasive measure to illicit nicotine usage on campus.

Best Spots for Parking

Parking has been a large topic of discussion around campus due to spots being filled early each school day and the seemingly low availability of parking for commuter students. Before jumping into the best spots, the only real advice about parking The Leader has to offer is simply to get to campus early so you have time to find a parking spot.

The worst situation is when you are right on time for class, then have to drive around the parking lot for 15 minutes looking for a spot. The highlighted parking areas have a few different benefits. Start with the spots highlighted close to Koplin Hall. They have the easiest access to the library and the Frick Center, and the parking lot is very easy to get in and out of.

The spots near the Mill Theatre are usually the last to fill up, so if you are running late, you’ll probably have the best luck finding something quick in that area. And the parking lot next to the Schaible Science Center is convenient if most of your classes are in any of the buildings near it. It’s also the shortest walk to the Frick Center.