Baily

Well, considering that Ypislanti, where the university is located, is only six miles away from the very liberal, very free Ann Arbor you run into many different stereotypes. Mostly, every student is a stoner! Even if you are a frat boy hitting on an eccentric hipster girl you can bet you probably at least have one thing in common! I don't look at it in a negative light, if anything it brings people together looking past the differences to enjoy each other's company. Not to mention, we've earned it after finals week!

Our school isn't bad, but I wouldn't say it was the best. As you may know, Michigan is having some severe economic turmoil right now and it is proven in our classrooms. We have large class sizes, on-going construction, limited classes or lack thereof because of budget cuts for the university, and increased prices at university stores. We manage alright, the campus looks great, and i think in a way this rut the state is in is beneficial because we are all struggling so we can all relate and then i feel that just helps maintain the status quo, people are treated rather fairly on campus now that we have all been reduced to the same economic level. I wouldn't say we have a lot of school pride, but I don't think we need it, we come together in different ways. how could we when everyone's favorite football team plays in the big house six miles from where we live?

I have fallen in love with our academics! I am an Anthropology major and we have an excellent staff, especially now that our building has just recently been renovated. The classes we have been offered are so intellectually entertaining! So many of my courses, i.e. Medical Anthropology, Philosophy of Life, hell, even Biology have prompted many out of class conversations! And they only get better with time! I even went on a study abroad trip this past summer that was life-changing! My professors on the trip were the best, not only did they teach me and show me all of the most beautiful and monumental artifacts of Ancient Rome, Greece, and relics of the Italian Renaissance, but they went out to the best pubs in town with us! Or guided us to the best meals in town, exposed us to the real nitty-gritty culture that, although, yes, was unsafe, was so important to know about to really learn the history behind a country or people.

Our school is rich with heritage and pride. So many different types of people can flourish and interact just from walking class to class. Just in the parking lot you can meet- a black american from motown, an arab american from Dearborn, an Asian American from Troy, some country folk, an exchange student, an even a native american complaining about General Custer. As I have said prior, our school does such an excellent job of coming together and looking past socio-economic or racial boundaries! I think because Eastern is basically the cheaper alternative to University of Michigan we, the students, have embraced our differences and reap the benefits of attending a university with such diversity! Students really have a hungry for knowledge about our state government or spreading the optimism of diversity. We have black power organizations, Jewish fellowships, geeky zombie lovers, or simple Christian study groups, but they are all posting on the bulletin boards next to each other and they are all fighting for who spray paints the spirit rock each weekend!