A college that is constantly boasting about its' student population and their accomplishments should provide outlets for students to showcase their gifts and abilities in a public forum. For artistic students, the walls of our buildings are a perfect fit.  

    If you have ever been on a tour of Clark College, then you have undoubtedly heard about how the students rallied together and paid for the Penguin Union Building (PUB). Administrators and faculty will tell you how wonderful the building is, and how glad the ASCC is to have paid for the PUB and the remodeled Gaiser Hall (GHL). But if you ask why there are no decorations, or any markings made by students, you’ll hear, “Hmm, that’s a good question,” or my favorite, “We want to avoid any offensive material.”
 
    The fact of the matter is that students paid for the PUB, and the PUB committee realizes this and is working diligently to get the administrations approval. However, some do not feel having art, poems or just color on the walls would benefit the students.
 
    After his most recent “State of the College” address, I had a chance to speak with Interim President Bob Knight. I asked him about the remodeling of GHL, and some other aesthetic changes around campus. After some hemming and hawing he explained that because of the condition of the campus, students are coming into class pissed off and this is affecting their studies.
 
    The outside may be beautiful, but on the inside, there is nothing on the walls other than a depressing off-white color that is found all over campus. Knight and his Administration cannot expect the appearance of our buildings on the outside to compensate for the depressing nature of the inside.
 
    The decorating of walls could even be turned into a fundraising event. The college could section off areas on the walls and sell them to whoever wants to make their mark. Not only would this raise funds for the ASCC, the College or any number of charities, but would showcase our diversity, and enable students to do something positive that will affect student life for years to come.
 
    If the college is truly worried about offending someone, they could place restrictions on what content could be placed on the walls, and approval of design plans could be required before work commenced.
 
    The short version is this: There really is no reason to prevent the decoration of the campus. If the school plays their cards right, the decoration could even turn a pretty penny.