As people settle into life on campus, whether for the first time or the third, we have time to appreciate the community found at Eastern. EU offers a unique community not found on many college campuses that is arguably one of the best things about being on campus. Whether you live on campus or commute, almost everyone would agree that our school has a strong sense of community that makes it feel like home. According to freshman Logan Sutton, “When I visited [Eastern], the community was very welcoming and made me feel at home.” I think it’s safe to say that a big part of Eastern’s community stems from the fact that it’s a Christian campus. Jenna Crowley, a senior, shares that she was “looking for a Christian university not too far from home and Eastern felt like a good fit.” Faith is an integral part of Eastern’s community. I have a professor that reads from the Bible before each class. Before each tournament starts, my team will pray. Teachers and students, in classes, clubs and day to day life, create a strong Christian community on campus. Despite many different denominations and religions living on campus, there is a sense of respect on campus that leaves everyone united within Eastern’s community.
Along with the student community, Eastern offers a community that includes faculty. Jenna additionally shared that “[she] liked the beauty of the campus and the student to faculty ratio.” One of Eastern’s many perks are the smaller class sizes. Professors often create stronger relationships with students, they care about their students and their success. Unlike bigger campuses where there could be hundreds of students in a class who will never speak to their professors, Eastern offers classes that allow students to get to know their professors and, thus, often better understand their classes. Joe Walsh, a sophomore, shared that he came to Eastern because of the scholarship and financial aid package. However, he has “stayed for the incredible music department and the campus-wide sense of community found here.”
Along with Eastern’s great community both in and outside of the classroom, the school offers incredible opportunities for academics and extracurricular activities. Jenna tells us she stayed at Eastern “because of the friends [she’s] made here” but also because of “the opportunities to lead clubs and the social work department.” Each academic department at Eastern offers great programs with interesting classes and caring faculty. Many teachers offer office hours that go beyond help in classes– they offer the opportunity for students to come and just talk. Many faculty have tea or candy or other treats to share, at times Dr. Morgan, chair of the Communications department, even has her dog Duke. Walking into the library I’ve been offered snacks by a professor I know whose office is on the second floor for no reason other than she wanted to. It’s truly incredible to see the extent of community between students and faculty.
Just as Joe loves the music department and Jenna loves the social work department, another senior, Maddie Howes, “chose Eastern because [she] could graduate in 3 years, [Eastern] made it affordable.” Eastern offers a unique program that allows on campus students to take two summer classes for free. Many students take full advantage of the opportunity to graduate early. Whether it’s to save money or move on to higher education, it’s a great program people should look into. While you still have to pay a fee, it’s nothing compared to the cost of an actual class. You can even use the program just to take lighter course loads during the school year. In addition, Eastern offers great financial aid that draws many people to Eastern. Even though some people come here for financial reasons, many people fall in love with the school.
Along with great academics, there are many opportunities for extracurricular activities. Maddie has “stayed because I made a lot of friends here and got involved in a lot of extracurricular activities.” Honestly, getting involved can make or break your college experience. Finding good groups or people and enjoyable activities that give you a break from classes and school work, even if you have a good group of friends already, is important. I didn’t get very involved for the first semester, and there was a big difference for me my second semester when I had something else to do.
Many students on campus are involved in athletics and most others are involved in various clubs and programs. Clubs, and sometimes even athletic teams, advertise around campus and through email. Oftentimes each team and club offers its own, smaller, community. I joined the golf team with no experience, and found a great, supportive community. You will usually see various athletic teams sporting their team gear walking around campus and eating in the DC together. Even some of the clubs have their own shirts to rep. Junior Abby Laird chose Eastern “to have more independence and because she had friends here.” However, she has stayed on campus for “the OCF [Orthodox Christian Fellowship] and the math department.”
Especially if this is your first year on campus, you’ve probably heard something along the lines of, “Why’d you choose Eastern?”, quite a bit. It tends to be an icebreaker or point of small talk that gets repetitive, but it’s actually a very interesting question. Even if there is some overlap, every person has their own unique version of the story that led them to Eastern. But even more interesting, is the reasons people have chosen to stay. People fall in love with the incredible community atmosphere and the friends they make. They enjoy the unique academic experiences, as well as the opportunities to get involved and meet new people. I’m one of the first people to complain about Eastern when something isn’t perfect– the parking situation for example– but at the end of the day, I’m still here because I want to be. Even though sometimes we find ourselves complaining about Eastern and what happens, or doesn’t happen, on campus, it’s nice to be reminded of the reasons we are all here.
Daniel Finegan 
Savana Dodd 
Waltonian