More than just a pretty face

Anyone who strolls through campus and passes by the dainty stream that is the Jordan River is haunted by IU's flawless beauty. \nWalking through campus is a speedy oasis between classes as we move from one plainly styled classroom to another. Unless people deliberately seek it, one might never see the character and beauty that compose the more historic academic buildings as well. \nSeveral weeks ago I was lucky enough to discover an IU treasure in Owen Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus. My guide was Jim Shea, a staff member in the School of Continuing Studies who was kind enough to devote a few minutes of his day to show me the office of the late Chancellor Herman B Wells. \nI walked in expecting to see a handsomely decorated office, perhaps with a few pieces of memorabilia. When I entered through the door, however, my expectations shot up into the warm air that circumvented the spacious room and escaped through the tops of the high windows. \nThe office spread into four walls, two of which were packed with books ranging from the Hundred Years' War to erotic art and everything in between. The knickknacks were just as diverse as Wells' collection of books: a trail of miniature elephants formed a line along a lower bookshelf, leading to a small display of tiny ceramic books, each of which had a cork at the top that revealed a hollow inside for, well, whatever one desires. \nAs I gazed upon the many collectibles that Chancellor Wells must have gathered and received over the decades, I could appreciate the diversity of the friends and colleagues who must have given each gift. The office has remained the same since the day Wells passed away, with his daily schedule for the spring of 2000 still gracing the top of his wooden desk. The fact that IU has preserved this office, so spirited in history, makes me glad that it acknowledges the historical beauty of this University and make it available for everyone to experience. \nI felt more pride in IU standing there, surrounded by the jolly face of the chancellor beaming from the black and white photographs, than I ever have before.\nIt makes me sad to think that I might have graduated from IU this summer without ever having seen this office. It was by chance that I was able to view it, and it makes me wonder what other historic jewels are dotted around campus. \nIt is my mission this summer to see everything that's not printed on a postcard or in a glossy University brochure. The Sample Gates and the gazebos with stained glass, although exquisite, only make up a small part of the historical scenery at IU. \nI recommend to everyone with time in between classes to wander through the buildings on campus instead of checking your e-mail or grabbing an iced sugar cookie from Sugar & Spice.\nDid you know there is a tree that is practically growing out of the Chemistry building? Wander around campus and see what you can see. Peer at plaques on walls, squint at the Latin engravings on stone exteriors and soak it all in, because chances are the strip malls we shop in and the cubicles we may one day work in are too young to be soaked with history. \nBut don't forget to get that cookie from Sugar & Spice afterwards, anyway. That's a tradition in itself.