Every week, students pour onto Monmouth’s campus at all hours of the day, usually rushing into buildings in order to attend the classes that brought them to campus to begin with. But amongst the running to and from classes and meetings, some are able to stop for a moment and appreciate the campus and the special measures taken to ensure its beauty.
Several members of The Outlook note that they are often in awe of how campus looks, particularly during the fall. Whether it’s because of the large and dominant trees adorning campus changing colors, or the courtyard outside of Wilson Hall with its running fountains, The Outlook finds autumn on campus to be a particularly magical time. And with the fall season supposedly predicted to be a very short one this year the staff is prepared to enjoy all of the autumn beauty on campus while they can.
However, some staff feel that campus looks good no matter which season it is, and while fall may definitely bring about the red and brown hues in the leaves, it is argued that no matter the time of year the campus maintenance crew is consistently doing a good job.
Yet some see that there is an excess in the care of campus. While it is definitely appreciated with all of the apparent labor that goes into the landscaping, the general consensus at The Outlook is that tuition should be used towards things that would really benefit students, such as more parking spaces instead of mulch and flowers.
“Of course it’s nice to look at, but I don’t think it benefits us (the students) in anyway. I mean, I’ve seen people leaf-blowing puddles… not necessary. I think it’s just to show off to potential MU students,” one staff member said.
The staff also feels that the ever-constant construction that occurs on campus takes away a lot of the beautification that the groundskeepers try to maintain. Several staffers mentioned that the construction has been a constant part of their lives at Monmouth so it rarely fazed them past their first year. Some have even considered it to be a dominant part of the life on campus and are often disappointed that they didn’t get to enjoy a “completed” campus in its entirety upon their graduation.
One staff member mentioned that most of the construction a student sees on campus will not be completed by the time they graduate, and in the end the construction will be more of a pain than a benefit. “I think the construction detracts from the general appearance… What bothers me more so is that the new Pozycki Hall is taking over what was formerly Torcivia Commons. It seems like a shame for someone to have their donation to the school superseded by a bigger and better donation,” the staffer said.
It can also be said that, while the construction is a pain now, it will end up benefitting future Monmouth students both in function, and appearance.
While it can be frustrating, The Outlook believes that campus in general is underappreciated due to the rush of daily life by students, staff and faculty. The staff believes that while there may be things on campus that detract from the landscaping beauty there is still so much to appreciate while visiting the university.
As one staff member kindly said, “Sometimes we get caught up running from class to class without realizing the new flowers that were planted, or holiday decor. We just need to take more time to smell the roses, literally.”
