Walking around Ball State University, it's easy to take for granted the beauty this campus radiates.
It's easier for juniors and seniors to recall walking across an uneven and gray McKinley Avenue. Ask longtime faculty or staff, and they'll speak of a time before Shafer Bell Tower or the Art and Journalism building.
There's a lot more to "campus" than the buildings and roads that form its boundary, however. It's the landscaping and other aesthetic features that set Ball State apart from its surroundings.
Recently, phase two of the McKinley project was completed, which added landscaping and an impressive entrance to campus. New construction projects, such as Park Hall and the Telecommunications building, are in the process of being completed.
Campus is changing for the better every day.
Although these projects certainly have made Ball State more pleasing to the eye, they've also given campus more of a university atmosphere and might help attract new students in the future.
Aesthetics might not have been the deciding factor for most students when they chose Ball State, but they certainly couldn't hurt anything. If two campuses have everything a student desires, the prettier one certainly has an advantage.
The beautification of campus also allows alumni to be proud of the new and improved looks of their alma mater. This could lead to increased alumni contributions, which can benefit current students.
In its infancy, Ball State started in North Quad and blossomed from there. There was no uniform design to the buildings and construction was only undertaken when more space was necessary.
Now, it's safe to say that the university has a plan for making the campus appealing and similar in all corners.
In the past, it might have been hard for some to recognize Ball State's campus for what it was. Sure, there were big buildings sprinkled randomly, but there was no indication that the buildings were a part of the university.
Every flower, shrub and tree helps tie this campus - and community - together.
With all the construction projects currently underway, it would be easy for the university to forget nature's wonders. Fortunately, the university has not disregarded this aspect of campus.
Students now have the responsibility of respecting these newly beautified surroundings.
Every discarded piece of trash, cigarette butt or piece of gum will tarnish campus. Vandalism would be even worse.
We owe it to future students - and the landscapers who decorate this campus - to keep it as nice as possible.
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