Surround the Castle, which took place in front of Old Main on Sunday, was a celebration of the school that brought the community and university together in a way they might not have been before.

It was heartwarming and inspiring to see people come to Eastern on a Sunday afternoon and take time out of their day to show their love and support for the faculty, students and staff that are affected by the ongoing budget impasse.

Although everyone acknowledged that Eastern is going through a challenging time, along with other state universities, there was a lot of optimism and talk of pulling together to get through this hardship.

As Charleston Mayor Brandon Combs said, hardship has been able to bring people together, and it is important to keep up an open dialogue between the university and community during these times.

The fact that there were so many people at Old Main that everyone was able to completely go around the whole castle is impressive.

As President David Glassman said, the number of people who showed up and surrounded the castle was incredible, and it was a positive and uplifting day for everyone.

The event itself also served as a way to get people to feel a bit more hopeful and a bit less fearful in the face of a lack of funding from the state.

According to The Daily Eastern News, Glassman said that the day was just one of celebration for Eastern and what it means for the community and for everyone in the Eastern and Charleston community.

While Glassman pointed out and emphasized the fact that Surround the Castle was not political, seeing the amount of people who support and need Eastern to be funded and survive will hopefully spur some legislators to action.

And even though the event was not meant to be political or a message to Springfield, further political action, such as the kind seen at the Fund EIU rally or in the students going to Springfield to rally, is still needed to raise awareness and make sure people know how intense the situation at all state universities still is.

These movements have already made progress in getting the word out.

After their rally, Fund EIU was trending on Facebook, and many people are becoming more and more aware of how the budget impasse is really affecting the Charleston and Eastern community.

While the ongoing budget crisis is ridiculous and utterly senseless, continuing to speak out about it and become activists for Eastern can help boost the campus’s morale and make an impact in the future of higher education.

The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News