Top 5 Things We Wish Were On Campus
EDITOR’S NOTE:  Jennifer Kuhn is a guest writer for Writing on the Mall.  She is involved with the Media Writing Two class at Marietta College, which has been submitting articles to us.  If you would like to see more like this, just let us know at patrick_h at writingonthemall dot net.
Imagine being on campus and going for a dip in the pool or swiping your card at Chipotle. It sounds like a Marietta College student’s dream come true. And that is exactly what it is.
While interviewing Marietta College students about what they would like to see on campus I received some very interesting answers. Not all could make it into our top five, but here is what did:
5. Franchised Restaurant
Many students expressed their interest in having a restaurant on campus. Many of the ideas included Chipotle, Wendy’s, McDonalds, and fast food in general. Large schools are well known to have restaurants in their student centers where cash as well as a student swipe card is accepted. Emily Davis, a Marietta College Junior, shared her views on the restaurant suggestion, “A lot of other campuses have restaurants where they can use their cards at and I think that that would be a great addition for students at Marietta.†Other students shared that it would cut down on lines at Izzy’s and Gilman as well as give a fresh option at Marietta.
4. New Dorm
Having a new dorm on campus has not only been a dream for students but the administration as well. In 2008, plans were being drawn and lines where being traced in preparation of a new dorm. Nonetheless, the let down came when an email was sent to students from President Jean Scott about the termination of the plans due to a failing economy. Megan McGrath, a Senior at Marietta College, expressed her feelings of the addition of another dorm on campus claiming that “many dorms are being packed with students, including having upperclassmen in freshmen housing and upperclassmen in fraternity houses when they are not part of that fraternity.†A new dorm is hopefully in the works soon here at Marietta.
3. Movie Theatre/Drive In
Although a movie theatre is down the road, students are still saying that they want one here. Their reasoning is that they believe it will “cut down on cost and be more available for those who do not have cars.†Maybe these students are not aware of the discount students receive in the business office on movie tickets. In all, though, it would be an awesome enhancement to our campus.
2. Starbucks
Of course Starbucks would make the list. To several students Seattle’s Best is not comparable to their favorite coffee house, Starbucks. Marietta College Junior, Katie Rinaldo said “It would be nice to have better coffee on campus which tastes great and is more accessible.â€Â The lines in the morning at the Chlapaty Café are too long for those who cannot start their day without their freshly brewed coffee and to them the solution is Starbucks. I believe the first goal is to get a Starbucks in the city first then we could move onto campus. This is a great wish for students but I feel Seattle’s Best is what is going to stay for now.
1. Indoor Swimming Pool
Number one, the indoor swimming pool. This was bound to make the list. With the addition of a swimming pool to campus there would be the ability to have a swim team as well as water aerobics. This could also create more work study positions since the keeping of a pool is vital to its stability. Katie Wolfe, a senior at Marietta, said “A pool is a good place to have activities on campus, a good place for exercise, and just to hangout.†Although a pool was originally discussed in the plans of the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center, the cost of the pool took that plan out of the final decision of the recreation center. Maybe in years to come Marietta will rethink that idea of a pool which could increase their number of prospects to the school.
As awesome as this list sounds, it is the imagination of Marietta College students. Possibly some of these items could be added but others are just too much for this campus to take on. In the words of Walt Disney, “a dream is a wish your heart makes†and that sums up the entirety of this list.
