Whether you’re watching the sun rise after pulling an all-nighter in the study lounge on the 27th floor of PFT or watching a baseball game from your bed, wherever you live on campus is sure to have a room with a view. But according to many on-campus residents, some views may be better than others

Pearce Ford Tower, located at the bottom of the hill, is known for it’s 27 floors full of more than 200 females, and for being the tallest residence hall in Kentucky. Seen from miles away, some even refer to PFT as the “north star of Bowling Green,” because no matter where you are in the city, you can figure out your direction by spotting the tower.

Though 27 floors can mean a long wait for elevators and a hassle during fire drills, for Samantha Newman, a resident assistant on the 23rd floor of the tower, the view is worth it.

“I like having a view that not a lot of people have because it’s so high up,” said Newman, a sophomore from Grand Rivers, Kentucky. “You can see sunsets and all of Bowling Green without any buildings blocking the view.”

On the other side of campus, located next to Downing Student Union, Bates Runner Hall, an upperclassman, co-ed honors dorm, stands three story tall. During football season, residents need only open their blinds to find a view of pickup trucks, pop-up tents and WKU football fans as early-morning tailgating festivities commence.

“The most annoying thing about living here is when there’s tailgating,” said WKU junior Katie Losekamp, who lives on the second floor of Bates. “It gets loud with people right outside my window.”

Apart from the tailgating, the back side of Bates Runner also has a view of the parking structure, which according to Losekamp, is not the best.

Moving further up the hill, you can hear the sounds of bulldozers and construction workers before you even spot the valley. What was once a peaceful and open space with trees and benches located in the middle of Rodes Harlin, McCormack, and Gilbert halls has now become a black hole of construction work for a new residence hall.

Catelyn Stanley, a resident assistant on the fifth floor of Rodes, can gauge the progress of this construction site each day with just a glance out her window.

“I feel like it’s completely in the way of everything,” said Stanley. “It blocks how I get to classes, and it’s inconvenient for students.”

As a resident assistant, Stanley understands the need for more dorms, but also misses the green of the trees and the places to sit in the once-open space.

“We can’t do any programs outside anymore,” Stanley said. “But I understand that it needs to be done, so I’ll deal with it to get new residence halls.”

Back towards the bottom of the hill, Hugh Poland Hall, an all-male dorm, offers a convenient view for sports fans. David Franke, a freshman from Louisville, can see the baseball field perfectly from his eighth floor room.

“I like it because I can lay in bed and watch the baseball games all in the comfort of my own dorm,” said Franke. “I have a good view of the water tower with Big Red on it and the sunsets too.”