Eastern’s campus might be small, but there are plenty of unique things around.  

There are many different buildings on Eastern’s campus. Some of them are similar in look; for example Ford, McKinney and Weller halls all have two levels with two towers on each side of the buildings and common areas in their center.  

Meanwhile, most other buildings have completely different looks to them. Pemberton Hall is a giant stone building with a red roof on it with the interior of an old early 20th century mansion. Lumpkin Hall is a building with an exterior of many tinted glass windows with a glossy stone inside.  

After spending some time on campus, many students start to know what their favorite places on campus are.  

“My favorite place to go is the bio building,” said Angel Enriquez, senior environmental biology major. “It has live fish and reptiles.” 

Eastern’s Life Sciences Building was built in 1963. It houses not only classrooms for students but also houses animals that students help take care of and study. 

Among this group of animals are axolotls, a tortoise, many diverse types of fish, lizards, snails, sea horses, shrimp, snakes and frogs, not to mention the many displays of taxidermy birds inside display cases. 

“I do like the Panther statue,” said Alexander Sitman, a junior video production major. “Just because it is like the midpoint of everything. It makes it easier to find everything.” 

The Panther statue in the commemorative courtyard on campus has been there since 2018.  

If you check out the statue during finals week, you would probably find yourself asking what happened? But do not worry, it is just the annual tradition of leaving an item on the statue in hopes of good luck for finals week.  

Sitman also said in regard to the statue, “It helped me to find buildings when I was still trying to figure out where everything was on campus, being a compass.”

Another mainstay of campus is the Doudna Fine Arts Center.  

Built in 2008, Doudna has been a destination for students, faculty and community members to attend many different types of events. With an 85-foot-high wing as part of the building, the building sticks out on campus.  

Enriquez also pointed out how “aesthetically beautiful” Doudna is.  

With multiple performing and teaching spaces in the building, there is much experience. 

“I like that it’s a compact campus and has some interesting buildings,” said Sitman. “The building I find to be the best and most interesting is Buzzard Hall. I like that it has a common area with tables and stuff, so in between classes I can just walk over, sit down and do some homework.” 

There are also many spots around campus for students to sit and take a second for themselves. Around campus you can find massage chairs. They are free to use for the Eastern community members who are looking to decompress.  

The chairs are mostly located in the many popular study spots that are on campus.  

A pair of massage chairs are in the union’s 24/7 study lounge. It is open for students to study when needed.  

If you are looking for other study spots around campus, maybe take a trip to South Quad where the new South Quad Commons are open for students to hang out and study.  

Say you are looking for a smaller, more out of the box study space. Then look no further than the bridge connecting Coleman and Lumpkin Halls. With multiple tables for students to study at and a view of Eastern’s South Quad and the clock tower on respective sides, it can be a wonderful place to knock out some work. 

Another community space that Eastern has is Seventh Street Underground. This lounge has plenty of table space for people looking to sit and play a board game, study and or just hang out. The lounge also has multiple computers for students to access the internet and other software that might be needed for class assignments.  

For students trying to reconnect with nature, Eastern has many outdoor features that are highlights of the campus. For instance, the Campus Pond– which holds the annual neighborhood week boat race.  

With new things getting added to campus– like the new science building– you never know what the Eastern students of tomorrow will end up calling their favorite place on campus.

Gunnar Olson can be reached at 581-2812 or at gwolson2@eiu.edu.