Ups and Downs: Life on the Rolling Campus of Babson

Grow up in South Florida, and you might need to make a few adjustments when you come to Babson College. 

There’s the weather, of course, but there’s also the matter of the campus. It’s hilly, with ups and downs, climbs and dips. Think of College Drive as it lopes long, ascending its way to the Len Green Recreation and Athletics Complex (LGRAC), or think of Babson Way as it first falls and then rises before reaching Woodland Hills. “I’m from Miami, which is pretty flat,” Rebecca Ferrer ’28 says. “It’s definitely an adjustment.” 

Sophie Knippel ’29 agrees. She comes from the Palm Beach area. “It’s quite hilly,” Knippel says. “I’m not used to it. I’m gassed every time I go up these hills.” 

That’s not to say Babson is located on a mountain range. The campus hills may help to build a few quads, but this isn’t a place where Elsa would build an ice palace, or Julie Andrews would sing about the hills being alive. 

For students, staff, and faculty, though, the College’s rolling campus is an everyday part of the Babson experience. Nestled between the woods, buildings, and playing fields, the hills add a certain charm and beauty to campus. “Babson wouldn’t be Babson without them,” Knippel says. 

Keep Pushing 

According to the College’s facilities department, elevation on campus ranges from a low of about 140 feet to a high of about 244 feet, the tallest point on campus being the upper athletic fields.  

One of the most prominent hills on campus, particularly for those who live in the Coleman and Van Winkle residence halls, is the steep stretch that runs alongside Pietz Hall to the upper athletic fields. In a short amount of time, it climbs roughly 30 feet, and for those living in the upper campus, it is a well-worn path. 

It’s not, however, the biggest hill on campus. The trail that extends from the Babson Skating Center to Van Vinkle ascends about 40 feet. From its base at Mandell Family Hall, Map Hill Drive gains about 60 feet in elevation. 

Students develop strategies for dealing with the rolling terrain. Aidan Ozsu ’28 will cut through LGRAC, preferring to go up its steps rather than walk around the building. “That’s a good shortcut,” he says. “It doesn’t feel like I’m going up a hill.” Olivia Wolk ’27 will avoid the Pietz hill altogether and take a more circuitous route along nearby residence halls. “It’s not as steep,” she says. 

Not everyone minds the hills that much. “They don’t bother me,” Nicole Gaige ’26 says. “You just do it. You just push through. I don’t think there’s another way to go about it.” Describing herself as an “outdoorsy person,” Joselyn Armas ’28 goes for runs at Babson and appreciates how the hills add to the beauty of the woodsy, picturesque campus. “I think it’s really nice,” Armas says. “It is really peaceful.” 

The attitude of Kenneth Cao ’29, an avid runner, swimmer, and cyclist, can be summed up in two words: What hills? “The elevation difference is barely noticeable to me,” he says. That’s especially true when he listens to music. The campus just glides along. “When I put music on, I don’t notice the walk,” Cao says. 

A Joy and a Challenge 

To run on campus is its own ordeal. “Going down is a joy, going up is a challenge. It really is that simple,” says Rick Cleary, a professor of mathematics and the Robert E. Weissman ’64, H’94, P’87 ’90 and Janet Weissman P’87 ’90 Professor of Business Analytics. 

Babson’s cross country and track and field teams don’t always use the College’s hills for workouts, what with the famous Heartbreak Hill of the Boson Marathon located not too far from Babson Park. On Fridays in the fall, however, the track team will run on campus, typically on Map Hill Drive and the area around the Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village. 

“It is one of the harder, offseason workouts that they do,” says Russ Brennen, head men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coach, “but it is great for building strength, which produces speed, so they grin and bear it.” 

During the school year, Babson hosts two runs, The Cruickshank 5K Race for Shelter in the fall and the 10K for Babson Fun Run/Walk in the spring, that take advantage of the College’s hilly landscape, the courses stretching from Woodland Hills to Olin College next door.  

Cleary and Rob Major, director of undergraduate administration, also organize an informal Babson running group. That group meets once or twice a week, usually starting their runs on campus before venturing into the streets of Needham and Wellesley. “The return to campus is, of course, always uphill,” Cleary says. 

Running hills may be a toil, but like Brennen, Cleary understands they are essential in training. “Hills force us to think about our stride length, change up our breathing rates, and get us to make a little more effort,” he says. David Blodgett, who often joins the runners group and enjoys exploring the many “nooks and crannies” of campus, even looks forward to running hills.  

“If you preemptively look forward to the hills, it can change your perspective, which is a key step to getting your shoes laced up and hitting the road,” says Blodgett, associate professor of biology and chair of the Mathematics, Analytics, Science, and Technology Division. 

Karina Ovalles, a student success advisor, also joins the running group. “I love passing students and colleagues while running,” she says. “It’s very motivating.” When she reaches the top of an arduous campus hill, such as the long and winding road up to Woodland Hills, a sense of accomplishment sweeps over her. “It feels so great once you’ve done it,” Ovalles says. 

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