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Student Pavilion time capsule creates snapshot of 2017 for future students

Students placed items important to their generation as a message to the next

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Reaghan Fletcher, a biomedical engineering senior, stands by the time capsule plaque in the Student Pavilion's lobby on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017 at the Tempe campus.

During the Oct. 5 commemoration of the new Student Pavilion, students placed an iPhone, ASU swag and more in a time capsule meant to be opened in 50 years to open a window into the daily lives of the current generation.

Benjamin Davis, an associate director for student events and programming at ASU, said a number of Sun Devil-related items went into the time capsule.

Many student organizations had pictures of their current staff framed to put in. The time capsule also includes some "no pity for the kitty" anti-UA items, some ASU gear and a current campus map.


Davis said the items placed inside were meant to be a message from the present to the future.

“The time capsule is a window from our generation to another generation,” Davis said. “It’s something that will let the students who worked on and conceptualized and completed this building share something with students almost a full generation from now.”

Davis said that although the plan for the capsule came from faculty, its intent was born from the Pavilion’s student-led origins.

“The idea came from our university architect’s office,” Davis said. “This is really the first building on this campus that students have decided they wanted and went ahead and built, so it’s giving those students a chance to send a message to other students.”

The capsule is no longer open for submissions. However, Davis said it hasn’t been placed underground. 

“The final plate is not here yet, so it’s not technically been buried yet,” Davis said. “When that plate comes in, you’ll be able to see where that is and when they’re going to open it.”

Haley Gold, a senior in film and communication studies, and Spencer Bryant, a senior in business communication, together make 76th Street, an indie-pop band that played during the Student Pavilion’s grand opening on Oct. 5. Afterward, they were asked to put samples of their music in the capsule.

Gold said they were glad to perform at the ceremony.

“We’re two girls, and we have been playing since we were ten years old," she said. "We both went to ASU together, and ASU’s just been super supportive of us.”

Gold said they had not planned on putting their CD in the time capsule, but when the opportunity presented itself, they did.

“While we were there, they started talking about the time capsule and pretty much right as we finished our set, one of the guys in charge came up to us and asked if we would like to put our CD’s in,” Gold said.

Bryant said the capsule will show the students of 2067 the generational gap.

“In 50 years, they can look back and see how much they have progressed, and where they came from," she said.

Bryant said the time capsule was granted an important location in the student pavilion.

“It’s right when you walk into the main lobby,” Bryant said. “That’s where it is, underground, and there’s a plaque on top, sort of explaining what it is and the year it’s going to be opened.”

Still, Gold said that until the reopening ceremony, current students can only imagine the capsule’s future.

“Right now it’s just cool to think about people opening it in 50 years, getting to see what was relevant at this time,” Gold said. “But really, the excitement’s going to happen in 50 years when they open it up and find all the good stuff in there.”


Reach the reporter at trevor.hutchins14@gmail.com or follow @TrevorMHutchins on Twitter.

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