Night City University (district)

"Night City University began as Richard Night University, and was built in 1994 to be the academic center of his model city. He placed the campus on the western edge of beautiful Lake Park to balance the thriving corporate sector on the opposite side. Together they form the city's Yin and Yang of commerce and higher learning. On warm days, the campus end of the park teems with students studying or enjoying the sun."

- Night City Sourcebook The original university took up only the lower half of the current NCU campus. After the corporate takeover in 2009, the campus was expanded to its present size and renamed Night City University. Most of the humanities functions were moved to the newly constructed northern half of the campus, while the science departments stayed in the grouping of older buildings in the southern end.

Today, Night City University has over 15,000 students, many of whom commute to classes on buses that run at 20 minute intervals between the campus and the maglev station at the western edge of the corporate sector. The university is best known for its high quality engineering curriculum, but can still offer a sound education in the humanities.

When you visit the NCU campus, you needn't worry about the gang problem that plagues so much of the city, because the campus police keep stern control over the undesirables in their territory. Their glossy black protective gear and no- nonsense attitude has earned them the moniker "The Mad Maxes" among the students. While they may jibe their protectors, it isn't uncommon to hear a student yell for a "Max" when he gets into trouble. While the main objective of the campus police is campus security, students can enter into an optional protection agreement with the university in which the campus police will come to the aid of any student living in the nearby blocks outside of the campus.

C1#1 NCU Administration:
The Administration Building is constructed with the modem plastics and alloys favored by Richard Night, while the architectural design draws strongly on classical roots. The suggestion of marble columns in the entrance way, with the open rotunda beyond, gives the administrative building a sense of ancient wisdom impressed upon the modern world. This dramatic entrance, sequestered in a private setting by the jutting East and West wings, makes the visitor feel as though he has stepped out of Night City and into a realm of higher learning.

Within the east wing are many of the administrative offices, including the President's and the Dean's. Student registration is in the western wing, along with guidance and counseling offices. Part of the main building contains an amphitheater used for guest lectures and official functions. Security Level: 3

C1#2 Thompson Hall:
Thompson Hall continues the campus' particular style with more modem plastics and alloys. Within are the foreign language departments. The department offices are on the upperfloor, while the lower two are filled with classrooms and language labs. Security Level: 3

C1#3 Science Labs:
On the lower two floors are the physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, and geology laboratories. Above them are general purpose classrooms used by all the science departments. The top floor houses science department offices. Interconnecting hallways run through all of the adjacent buildings numbered 3 through 6, making what looks like separate structures from the outside into one large building on the inside. Security Level: 3

C1#4 Science Tower:
The Science Tower is the heart of the Night City University Engineering School. Its reflective silvered windows can be seen from one corner of the campus to the other. The Tower contains classrooms for Engineering, Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics. Three elevators service the upperfloon, the top of which holds the Engineering Department offices.

The first two floors are filled with multi-curriculum study cubicles, in which students can review the prepared coursework for their classes. The cubicles can download the coursework to students for study later. Many cubicles are equipped to allow students with the necessary neural interface wiring to plug in directly. Fax printer scan printout hardcopy for those who prefer it that way. The study cubicles take the place of much of the classroom study in old-style universities, which frees up the professors for personal instruction time with individual students. Security Level: 3

C1#5 Knute Hall:
Knute Hall houses the computer science classrooms and labs. In the basement is the university mainframe in its environment room, and an array of computer terminals in the surrounding laboratories. The upper floors house the computer-bio labs from which have emerged some of the leading developments in neural chip interfaces. On the top floor is the Computer Science department office. Night City University has been able to attract leading scholars in the computer field. Notable among them are Professor Kang Park, pioneering researcher in the field of neural chip interfacing, and Professor Alice Bloom, who was influential in the creation and standardization of the world Net. Security Level: 3

C1#6 Robinson Hall:
The northern portion of Robinson Hall contains the Mathematics department and classes. The taller southern half houses more Mathematics rooms on the lower floors, and Biological Science classrooms on the upper floors. Security Level: 3

C1#7 Brooks Library:
The ground floor contains printed books, microfiche copies of periodicals, and hundreds of thousands of fully computerized publications, all referenced by a modern computer catalog system which can locate physical books and download or print out selected passages for the student (using technology similar to a screamsheet). For a small fee, students can link into the library files from home and download the information to their own terminals. The underground level of the library is a vast student study area arranged into group study cells and multi-curriculum study cubicles. Security Level: 3

C1#8 Clinic:
The clinic handles minor health problems and medical emergencies. Security Level: 3

C1#9 Student Union:
The ground floor features a central atrium and a student lounge. Student government offices and student meeting rooms take up the northern end of the building. At the southern end is the University bookstore. Inside the lobby are a cluster of phone/dataterms, and a couple of screamsheet boxes just outside. Down the stairs are the student and faculty cafeterias, the Ratskeller bar with music video entertainment and weekend parties, NCU Pastry shop, Pizza By-the-Slice, a food co-op, and a NCU music co-op where the students can buy music recordings at co-op prices. Security Level: 3

C1#10 Howard Wong Building:
The School of Business takes up the whole of this building and makes use of extra class space in the Tower of Science. The building was recently renamed in honor of Howard Wong after his estate made a sizable donation to the university. Security Level: 3

C1# 11  Social Sciences Building:
This building houses the Social Sciences department and classrooms. Security Level: 3

C1#12 Humanities Building:
The English and Journalism departments are in the Southeast portion of this building. The rest is given over to the Humanities, including History, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Religious Studies. All of the department offices can be found on the second floor. Many of the classes for these departments are conducted,in the Science Tower. Security Level: 3

C1#13 Schumaker Hall of Performing Arts:
The Dance, Music, Theater, and Video Communications departments share Schumaker Hall. In the southern end is the main theater and theater classrooms. In the center of the building is the music recital hall, and to the north are the dance classrooms and film and video studios. Security Level: 3

C1#14 Apartments:
These are privately owned residential apartment buildings rented entirely by students. The three identical blocks to the west of the university were built during the expansion phase to house new students. The uppermost block is of older construction apartment houses. Security Level: 2

C1#15 Lombardy Groceries:
Lombardy's Groceries is a small neighborhood grocery store. Out front is a phone/dataterm next to a sreamsheet box.

Grace Street Businesses
These businesses cater to the university students, offering them the services and products they need and want. In the evenings these streets are busy with young people. The smaller buildings are the original houses converted for business use, while the larger buildings are more recent constructions.

The Voodoo Boys also call this stretch of real estate home. They're a nasty bunch of boosters that gets as much fun out of terrorizing people with bloody chicken parts as they do extorting money from the shop owners. They prefer to use machetes on their victims and enemies, amputating body parts of the minor offenders and hacking others to death. It's easy to spot a Voodoo Boy in a crowd. They wear feathers, teeth and other trappings, and all have a distinctive bone through the nose.

The Voodoo Boys and Campus Security are extremely antagonistic. They also clash whenever the Voodoo Boys go after a student with extended security coverage. Security personnel never come into this neighborhood alone, while on university property, it's considered open season on the Voodoo Boys.

C1#16 Don's Hot Nuts:
Don painted this converted house bright green to give it a stand-out appearance. Now he and his wife stand outside his business and hand out free nut and candy samples to passing students. Don is a landlord of local renown, owning some of the dingier properties south of the campus.

C1#17 Clothes in Modern:
The best in pre-owned clothes and accessories can be found inside, as well as the newest fashions. The upper floor is an apartment. Security Level: 1

C1#18 MacDonnells':
Fast food just like you had it back home.

C1#19 Carriage Street Book and Coffee House:
The lower level is a fully stocked and eclectic bookstore. On the interior balcony overhanging the back of the store is the Afterwords coffee house, where patrons can sit and enjoy coffee, light drinks and sandwiches as they read their new purchases. A dataterm can be found in front as well as a screamsheet box. Security Level: 1

C1#20 Newgate Prison/ Paragon:
Downstairs is Newgate Prison, a serious college drinking establishment made up to look like a famous London prison. The wooden benches and tables are bolted to the concrete floor, which is dotted with drains so that all the proprietors need to do is hose down the room at the end of the night. On Thursdays the bartenders pour pitchers of beer for only two dollar search and the line to get in can wind around the corner and partway down the street.

Upstairs is the Paragon bar, featuring a large dance floor and live bands most nights. Many local groups play here, most of them not very good, although occasionally a talented band passes through. Drinks are about half again as expensive as downstairs, so serious drinkers fill up at Newgate and just keep themselves topped off up here. Security Level: 1

C1#21 Market Drugs:
Market Drugs is a neighborhood drug store with a licensed pharmacist. Out front is a screamsheet box and dataterm. Security Level: 1

C1#22 Hababas:
Still a favorite of the local rowdies, Hababas once was a respectableb iker bar, but is now the preferred hangout of the Voodoo Boys boostergang. The front plate window, perpetually broken, now has a permanent plywood support sheet attached to it. Inside, the furniture is thick and hard to break, and the two hefty bouncers discourage armed conflicts inside the bar. Students who fancy themselves toughs, or are looking for a rough time, frequent this bar.

C1#23 Biograph Theater:
The Biograph is a charming 1970's era two-screen theater. One side is art films and other sophisticated fare for the educated college audience. The other side features pornographic movies, the revenues from which support the art theater side.

C1#24 Metro Cafe:
The interior is decorated with a modern European flair. Best on the menu is their monstrous one-pound hamburger, made with a full pound of soya-beef and a choice of extravagant toppings. Mounted against the wall in the rear-most booths are braindance boxes playing the latest DMS releases. If he knows the right people, a customer can experience limited release artistic braindances, and (rumor has it) even restricted underground productions.

C1#25 Fashion Cuts:
Fashion Cuts is tucked away behind the Biograph and Metro Cafe. From the street, the only evidence of its presence is the neon Fashion Cuts logo on the building's side. Their hair artists are skilled in all the latest styles, from magnetic spikes to true neon interweaving.

C1#26 Stuart Hospital:
The best medical care money can buy. Stuart Hospital is a private, full-service multi-bed hospital with complete emergency medical facilities. They run a complete financial check on new patents and do not treat credit risks. Security Level: 2

C1#27 Byrd Student Co-op Housing:
Night City University houses many of its resident students in this converted hotel. Security Level: 2

C1#28 The Ritz:
This is a privately-owned apartment building inhabited mostly by students. Security Level: 1

C1#29 Apartments:
All of the buildings on this block have been converted to apartments which are rented to students. Security Level: 1

Notable Personalities

 * Dr. Edward Michaels
 * Samantha Yurrid
 * Hilda Gustav
 * Arthur Edwards
 * Karen Liston
 * Michael Hill

Reference
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 FISK, C. Night City Sourcebook. 1st ed. Berkeley CA: R.Talsorian Games, 1991