The Jedi Counci Room

Probably one of the quirkiest things that the University administration has done is with the 7th floor of Beering. Not only does the 7th floor take a life of its own and appears radically different from the prior 6 floors, it also exists in its own zip code. Yes, a different zip code. Technically is not a part of the Purdue campus because of this, which I’ll explain in a little bit. The most notable feature about the floor itself exists over the southeast corner on the 7th floor: a domed room. This room is a break from the sharp corners and big boxes that create the beering building, and has become quite Iconic with students for being comparable to the Jedi Council Room from the Star Wars movies. This room can be reserved from the main desk, but where is the fun in that? I’m going to tell you about how to get there after the building closes (because you’re a rebel)!

First I can answer the question about the zip code issue. John Purdue had wished that University be the tallest building on campus, and to stick to his wishes the university decided that when they constructed buildings that were taller than the university building, they would just put those upper floors  in a different zip code because that means they didn’t break their promise (Right?!). What is exciting about this is that you could probably mail something from the first floor to the seventh, so nothing. There is nothing exciting about this at all. It is exciting though to break into the 7th floor Jedi Council room!

Beering closes at midnight, but a lot of the upper floors are inaccessible and offices closed by 5pm. To get through these offices, you would either have to be up there from 5 pm to get past the offices, or you would have to arrive exactly when it was closing time and the cleaning crews began their work. All you need to do is arrive while they are cleaning, maybe sneak around a little bit, and get to the room right after they finish cleaning. This part is really hit and miss, as sometimes the cleaning crew will lock the door immediately, but often they will forget to and you can just head on in.

 Photo provided by PurdueExponent.org

And there you have it! You’re now in the Jedi Council room at night. The room has a fairly nice view of the fountain and a little bit over the skyline, but really the best part is the peace and quiet that is lightly disturbed by the sound of vacuum cleaners and the bell tower singing the night away.