The New Student Center: From a Senior

The long awaited new ECU Student Center unveiled itself at the beginning of this semester. Along with the rest of campus, I roamed around this massive and beautiful building the very first day it opened. I might be a little biased, but it is hands down the nicest student center I have ever seen. The new offices for clubs and organizations are spacious and state of the art. The whole place is comfortable and inviting, yet modern. The outdoor deck is breath taking and new food options put the old student center to shame. It’s genuinely a place you’d want to go to as a student and our campus is so lucky to get to enjoy this facility.

As I was excitedly touring the building, I got a weird nostalgic feeling. I started to realize this student center has been under construction for my entire college career. Back in the fall of 2015, this campus was very different. It’s crazy to think about how much can change in just four years. I remember when they first roped off the area where the new student center was going to be built. For the longest time people asked whether it was going to be a parking garage? Or a new dorm? When word got out it was a going to be a new student center everyone was so excited. However, we were all a little less excited when ECU announced it would be completed in 2019. I remember thinking, “that’s so far away, I’ll basically be graduated by the time I can use it”. This is such a distant and unimaginable thought as a freshman, but that time has finally come.

As a student who has watched this building be built from start to finish, it was a crazy feeling when I was told my major was graduating there this May. I feel like it is the most appropriate way to end my time here at ECU, it feels full circle. I’ve watched this student center and this campus grow as I grew the past four years. Future students of ECU are going to enjoy this new student center for years to come and I am so glad that I got to experience it too.