Walking around the same place every day can cause one to become jaded to their surroundings.
I remember my first time walking through WKU’s campus. It all seemed so big and beautiful. Our wonderful little community on the hill. The buses circling and cutting through campus while students of every shape, size and color go about filling their days with education, exercise, relationships and food.
Once you become familiar with all the pathways, parking lots and buildings on campus you can plan your route to classes through campus flawlessly. Walking the same path every day can make you enjoy less all those things that you see along the way, or you might miss something altogether.
It is not uncommon to see everyone on their phone with headphones in texting, tweeting, playing music, playing games or whatever is the most popular thing to be socially engaged in. But what do we miss when our heads are down? Or, when we become so accustomed to our environment we stop looking for new information and opportunities.
In a society where every TV and radio show is asking you to like them on Facebook and every commercial is a joint advertisement funded by industries with a set agenda, we must choose wisely where to focus our attention. Being engaged with your surroundings on campus is a wonderful way to turn your walk to class into a journey through campus.
After all, the advertisements and posters dispersed over our campus are directed towards and for the sole benefit of students. Walking to Cherry Hall the other day, a red poster sticking out of the ground caught my attention. It was about a cultural enhancement seminar taking place in Van Meter Hall. I plan on attending because that kind of thing interests me; however, had I disregarded it like I do so many other billboards and posters I would have missed the opportunity.
Posters are a great ways to advertise to students the different and upcoming clubs, speeches, events and resources that are scattered throughout campus. Bulletin boards can be found in almost any academic building on campus with relevant news and information about the subjects studied in that particular building or floor.
Last year, as I was leaving my Comm 145 class in the Ivan Wilson Center for Fine Arts, I passed a poster. It read “HAPPY GAS OPEN AUDITIONS.” My excitement grew and was quickly crushed when I realized the three day audition period had ended the day before I found it. Upset, I made the decision that I would make more of an effort to be aware of the things and opportunities around me.
It seems almost everything these days is doing its best to grab onto and hold our attention. As often as I try to avoid watching TV these days, as a personal preference, when I do I’ve noticed that many commercials begin loudly often with unnecessary EDM music and sometimes overly sexual situations. These ads don’t make you think about a product rationally, but instead target your emotions and desires in order to get you to subconsciously make a positive association with whatever they are trying to sell. We must make a conscious effort to decide the most beneficial use of our time.
A natural curiosity about things can lead to a world of new possibilities. For the extent of your life you will never stop learning, this means new information is everywhere just waiting to be discovered and understood.
Posters placed throughout campus are a gold mine of relevant and beneficial information spanning from health and wellness tips to clubs, sports and events on campus. Paying attention to these flyers and posters can lead you to new and interesting opportunities.
What you’ll find is that more possibilities or growth and experience present themselves and you’ll have more in common with your fellow students who might be noticing the same things you are.
