My Space: The Cougar Mall Fountain

My favorite place on the College’s campus is the fountain behind Randolph Hall. Affectionately referred to (by me and my college friends) as “The Spot,” this intersection between Randolph Hall, the old library and the Honors College, became a meeting location in between classes and before events.

“The Spot” was where I met friends, admired the beauty walking through the campus and even met professors. There was a certain affinity for my English professors (Drs. Holmes and Morrison) to stop by if they saw me. I loved this space because you would get more smiles, meet more people and plan more activities than almost anywhere else.

I sometimes would just sit at the spot at night and imagine where I would be when I would leave the campus. In fact, one of my enduring memories was just before I graduated. Late one night, as I walked through the campus, taking in the early May air, I walked through the Cistern and to the fountain. I sat and reflected on all the courses I had taken, all the friends I had met and on what the future held. In the calm of that evening, I remember not being afraid of my future, but being appreciative of my past and present, which all were intersecting in this spot.

Not any spot, not only my spot, but “The Spot” for so many who traverse the College. There is beauty all around campus, and this place interconnects so much of my experience.

– Derrick Williams ’99

Derrick Williams ’99 was an Honors College English major who is a now a workers’ compensation attorney and certified mediator with Mickle & Bass in Columbia, S.C.