As a staff editor at The Daily Eastern News, I do a lot of writing and cover a lot of campus and Charleston events. But a big part of what I do is actually going to those events.

Our campus is a pretty cool place. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard and said the words “there’s nothing to do in this town,” but let me also tell you how wrong we all really are when we say that.

Yes, Eastern is a small school in a small town. That I will concede. But boring, it is not. Every time I go to an event on campus, I learn something new. Sometimes I like to pick things I know very little about just because it will be a new experience.

Take, for instance, a few weeks ago when I covered a quilter’s trunk show and lecture at the Tarble Arts Center. Prior to the event, all I knew was that it was a group of women from Gee’s Bend, Ala. They came to talk about the quilts they made and why they did so. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it might be kind of boring.

As life would have it, I was completely wrong. The three African American women who came didn’t really talk about the quilts as much as they spoke about their lives and working for equality during the Civil Rights Movement. It was awe-inspiring and they were just so humble.

Then they started to sing and the whole room began to tear up. It was completely amazing and unexpected. Had I not taken the chance, I never would have experienced it. It didn’t even cost me anything.

The Tarble Arts Center and The Doudna Fine Arts Center are two amazing places to find things to do on campus. They purposely lower the prices so students can afford them. For a mere $10, I was able to see Gaelic Storm, a band that I love, right here on campus. (In case you don’t know who they are, they were the Irish band in the movie “Titanic”).

No, we do not always have all the most well-known acts that are featured on TV, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of cool groups and presentations that take place here. Take for example the “Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Project Featuring Mary Wilson (The Supremes)” presentation on Nov. 16. Tickets cost $20 on campus, but just a few weeks earlier to see Wilson perform in Fontana, Calif., tickets cost $50. That’s a savings of $30 for people here.

My point is simple: we have a lot of great resources and opportunities to learn about the world around us. So stop whining and go learn something new.

Amy Wywialowski is a junior history major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].