Today in the CBO
The View from the BMU
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
28 June 2298 – College Station
On certain Tuesdays for the 2297 and 2298 seasons, we will feature one of the settlements where teams in the Boston Minor Union play.
In our sixteenth trip around the BMU, we will go to the location of the old premier Cambridge University of the famed Ivy League, College Square.
An American Institution
Originally known as Harvard University before the Great Renaming Act of 2027, Cambridge University "was established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1638, it acquired British North America's first known printing press. In 1639, it was named Harvard College after deceased clergyman John Harvard, an alumnus of the University of Cambridge who had left the school £779 and his library of some 400 volumes. The charter creating the Harvard Corporation was granted in 1650.
College Square - pre-War
"A 1643 publication gave the school's purpose as 'to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity, dreading to leave an illiterate ministry to the churches when our present ministers shall lie in the dust.' It trained many Puritan ministers in its early years and offered a classic curriculum based on the English university model*—*many leaders in the colony had attended the [original] University of Cambridge*—*but conformed to the tenets of Puritanism. Harvard has never affiliated with any particular denomination, though many of its earliest graduates went on to become clergymen in Congregational and Unitarian churches.
College Square - pre-War
The University remained a member of what was known as the Ivy League throughout its existence. In 2027, it changed its name from Harvard University to Cambridge University by unanimous student vote. For a short time there was a financial crisis since many alumni ceased donating to the university and several prominent students dropped out.
The Age of Feral Ghouls
According to a terminal entry from 2287, "College Square is a landmark in the ruins of Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2287. From the battle lines, it appears as though raiders were attempting to make a stand against feral ghouls but were overrun.
College Square - 2287
"Once the center of Cambridge University and a part of Cambridge, this central square is currently a ruin of a different sort; originally a stronghold held by raiders, it was recently overrun by a massive infestation of ferals. Prior to its fall, this encampment was not only the center for the usual raider antics but also an extortion racket, charging travelers a fee to ensure safe passage from the raiders. Since its fall, the area earned a reputation for transients being torn apart by the ferals. Needless to say, travelers, transients, and scavengers have avoided the place, leaving the place ripe for looting."
Education Returning?
The Cambridge area has been cleaned up a lot more than some of the Downtown Boston areas, but there is still a lot to do before the entire area can be considered pre-War quality.
College Square - 2298
The area is feral ghoul free save the random encounter from time to time. What has sprouted is a lot more young people congregating than ever before because of the buzz behind Nate Howard's words from a few years ago.
College Square - 2298
According to a terminal entry from 2295, Howard said, "I would love to bring back Cambridge University and have maybe the only college in all of the world right now.
"Even though I never attended CU, I most certainly spent some time there, even before meeting Nora. I was there a lot more often after I met Nora and she attended CU Law School. I would love to help get the university restarted and have a special section for Law devoted to Nora. It is something I have as a goal as soon as I have all the caps I need to fund it."