TU invests in their students by investing in their environment
Dread. That is what students feel when they wake up to go to classes. Students are drained from last week’s midterms. Now, imagine if you had been sacrificing sleep for studying. Trying your best to become an academic weapon, but the campus was plain. Imagine that every time you left your room to go to the library or the student union the campus was gray, the grass dead and the flowers uprooted from the ground.
Most people’s dread would turn into depression and anxiety, and for college students who already suffer from depression and anxiety, this would be horrible. If they are depressed and anxious on a dying campus this would make those feelings a thousand times worse. The reason is most people feel relieved when they see beauty in nature. This statement is best explained by the American Psychological Association writer, Kristen Weir, who says, “Our ancestors evolved in wild settings and relied on the environment for survival, we have an innate drive to connect with nature.” It is a primal instinct to want to connect with nature and because of this, nature’s beauty reduces stress and decreases our negative emotions while simultaneously increasing the good ones.
When there is something beautiful to wake up to and appreciate, it incites a person to get up, which in turn makes going to class less of a chore. This makes the students’ attendance become increasingly prevalent. Since the environment we live in is beautiful it adds to the things we love in life and makes us more inclined to do things within that environment.
TU has spent a great deal using mulch to prevent the trees from drying out, watering them, so they stay fresh and green. They have bought flowers and pumpkins to give the campus a more welcoming feel. This has all promoted the health of the campus, and a healthy campus leads to a healthy mind. When the mind is healthy, it is more open to developing academically. As the beauty of the environment decreases stress, it makes it easier for college students to relax and focus. The ability to lie down in the sun on fresh grass and study sounds better than doing it at a desk in an off-white room. Since it sounds more pleasing, people are more inclined to do it. This leads to more studying, which leads to better grades. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service blogger, Ella Hendrix, found that “Students learning in naturally lit environments typically achieve grades that are 25% higher than those in dimly lit classrooms.”
Let’s face it, college is hard. Different people from diverse backgrounds have come here and everyone is struggling with something. But to throw them into a dreary environment they are not used to would only intensify all the anxiousness, stressfulness and sadness they are feeling. Grades would slip and people would lose motivation. Therefore, the beautification of our campus is important. Despite all the stress that comes from being away from family and completing school, the beauty in nature is able to lighten the mood. At the very least, it’s able to give students and staff a place where they can relax and get outside of their minds. It gives them a chance to take a breather and appreciate nature, for it is beneficial to our health.
