Above is a photograph of Newman Lake; located adjacent to Greek Row and Bridgeforth Football Stadium. The lake leaves a lasting first impression to the visitors of James Madison University as it adds to the overall beauty of campus. In the picture, you can also see the back of the Welcome Center. The Welcome Center has a beautiful patio that overlooks the Lake, which adds the perfect breeze for many events held on the back patio. For the past two years, Newman Lake has had a special effect on me as it served as my bedroom window scenery. When I first moved to the row, the wildlife attracted by Newman and the sounds created by them annoyed me. Thus as time has progressed, I grew to enjoy them and the time I spent with friends surrounding the lake. Newman Lake used to be the center of events on campus, ice-skating, boat races, fishing, and swimming. Over the years, the various activities have been prohibited due traces of mercury found. Today, you still see many people sunbathing by the lake, and for those brave souls who bend the rules to do some fishing and boating. Newman Lake has always been the view I wake up to, and the center of many jokes and laughs; surely I’m going to miss Newman next year.
I used to see Newman Lake as a scenic area on campus until I took a closer look. As a freshman I did not have classes near the lake and never went near it. This year I have gone fishing at the lake and found that a closer look shows that the lake is very polluted. At anytime you can go to Newman Lake, and you will see beer bottles floating across the lake. I have also seen a chair from a common room in one of the dorms on campus, something that appeared to be a platform for people to stand on, and countless bottles purposefully thrown into the lake. It is ironic that a space on campus that is seen by the public to be an aesthetic asset to JMU is really a trash dump.
ReplyDelete-Tedd M. Gimber for Dr. H
Newman Lake is beautiful, but only from afar. I live by the lake and I see the trash and pollution up close more than most people might see. I think that the construction on the stadium is what has caused most of the pollution. All of the dust and grime from demolition has led to a lot of debris being washed into the lake.
ReplyDelete-Victoria Rogers for Dr. H