In light of recent events surrounding IU’s campus that have put a damper on the community, I thought I’d remind Hoosiers of all the good here in Bloomington.
1. Home of the free, land of the food
Bloomington is host to plenty of places to eat wherever your stomach desires. A majority of the restaurants are local, which is great when you want to eat original cuisine and support small businesses. Some of the most popular include Upland Brewing Co., a local brewery credited as one of the best breweries in the Midwest by Yahoo! food in March, 4th Street, a whole block’s worth of various ethnic restaurants, and a favorite for college students, Village Deli and its gigantic pancakes.
2. The great outdoors
We weren’t ranked fifth on Buzzfeed’s list of “Most Beautiful Colleges and Universities” for no reason. The first thing someone from IU tells you about it is, without a doubt, how beautiful our campus and Bloomington is. Walks between classes provide a beautiful scenery of babbling creeks, woods and fountains. Not far off campus we have three lakes surrounding us, the quarries, the Hoosier National Forest and McCormick’s Creek State Park, just to get you started on our infinite amount of beautiful wildlife to explore.
3. Academics
We’ve got the looks, and we’ve also got the brains. Forbes ranked IU #22 in the list of “Top Public Colleges” in the nation in 2013, and it’s easy to see why with all the first place rankings we’ve racked up. The Kelley School of Business is ranked first for online master’s programs, and the Jacobs School of Music was also ranked first in music schools by Music School Central. Several graduate programs including nonprofit management, environmental policy and management and the folklore doctoral program are all ranked at first as well.
4. Campus bar scene
If you’re over 21, you’re familiar with IU’s bars where students take breaks from their academics with awesome drink specials on a student’s budget, like $2 Tuesday’s at Kilroy’s on Kirkwood. Drinking specials like those at Nick’s English Hut include the infamous game of Sink the Biz, and you can always watch sports while you enjoy a beverage. As two of the most popular bars at IU, it’s no surprise they both made it on Buzzfeed’s list of the “29 Best College bars in America.”
5. Diverse student life
Last but certainly not least, the diverse community at IU is easily one of its best features. Get involved in one of the more than 750 student organizations, 70 fraternities and sororities and various intramural sports clubs. Cultivate yourself by going to a Broadway musical at the IU Auditorium, or visit the internationally acclaimed art collection at the IU Art Museum, the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center or the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. IU was also ranked in the top 25 list of LGBTQ-friendly Colleges and Universities — which is pretty important.
Bad things happen to good people, and in this case, a good university. However, as Hoosiers we need to move forward and remember all the good that surrounds us at IU.
prhurst@indiana.edu
@IDSPeyton
