Blink and you’ll miss it: ornate, intricate ceramics from Iran, handmade straw farmer shoes from South Korea, and colorful abstract paintings, by an EC alumni from Sri Lanka, adorn the walls of the Schauerman Library for everyone to see.  It’s a shame nobody actually takes the time to look.
When one thinks of EC, one may think of the classes one takes, the hassles of parking, and what to do later that night after classes.
Rarely do they take the time to appreciate the many interesting things the various programs around campus offer.
With thousands of students passing through the Schauerman Library on a daily basis, many miss the rotating galleries on display right inside the doors.
The International Students’ Cultural Items exhibit, currently on display through May 31, features imported items such as Japanese handmade dolls, Buddhist necklaces from Thailand, and more.
The exhibit is being put on by the ESL classes and the language academy.
The Art Gallery, located in the first floor of the Art Building, is clearly marked with a large sign, yet many students pass by it with zero curiosity.
Just recently ending was the exhibit “unCommon Threads,” a clothing and garment exhibit.
The next exhibit is planned for May 16 through June 3,  and will be a student show featuring work by the Fine Arts department students.
Perhaps going the most unnoticed is the anthropology museum, on the third floor of the Art Building.
Its current exhibit, “The Guitar: The Instrument Heard Around the World,” features a history of the guitar, showing items like the Turkish Tar, played in the 18th century, which was made of items such as mulberry wood and stretched lamb skin.  The exhibit takes the viewer through history all the way up to the modern American-made electric guitars.
Have you ever wanted to go to the moon?  That may be difficult, but you could certainly feel like you’re almost there thanks to our college’s astronomy department.
See the sky’s constellations or the surface of Mars at EC with our observatory that has an open house once a month that is open to the public.
The observatory is located on the roof of the Mathematics Building and features a 16-inch reflecting telescope.
Free music practice rooms are available in the Music Building with the only requirements being having an EC ID card and at least some musical experience.
The bottom line is our campus offers many great, free reasons for students to open their eyes and look around campus, and it is up to the students to take advantage.
Money is going into all of these features around campus and it’s ultimately senseless for students not to see the fruits of their labor and cash.