By Connor Donnellon

Niagara County Community College has a current student population of more than 5,000 students, but how well do they know where they go to school? The college has a variety of things that it offers, as well as spaces you can use for studying, athletics, and various programs that are included with your student tuition.

I asked a handful of students a variety of questions about if they know where things are in the school that they attend. I posed my first question, “Where are the squash ball courts?”. Of the ten people that I asked, two people knew where these courts were in the athletics building, three of them knew of them, but didn’t know where they were, and five of them didn’t know that there was more than just the main gym. The courts are open for anyone with a student ID, and can be used for more than just playing the game.

I am a digital media major, and there is something that I walk by all of the time without thinking about it, so, I asked the same ten people, “Where is there a TV studio in the college?”. Most of the answers were the same, which was that it was in the fine arts building. Out of the ten that I asked, only one got it correct, which is in the same building as the learning commons on the first floor. Although it isn’t open to students on a regular basis, it gives people in that program some experience working in a setting like a studio.

A popular place for students to spend their downtime is in the bowling alley, which is conveniently right next to the Esports lounge. I asked ten people if they knew where the bowling alley was, and it was almost split down the middle. Five knowing where it was, and five not knowing where it was. However, all ten of them knew where the Esports lounge was.

Lastly, I asked ten students about something that the library offers, but not many take advantage of. “Where are the quiet study rooms?”. This one managed to stump all ten of them. For those that don’t know, the study rooms are located on the third and fourth floors of the library, and are super easy to book, being that you can do it from your phone on the library website. You can reserve them for up to two hours, and they have a white board, a computer with a larger monitor, and markers that you can get from the front desk.

After going through and asking a handful of students things about where they go to school, there was one thing that became clear. It shows that the more that you know about certain opportunities that are available to you, the more likely you are to use them. All of the things that the institution provides for you as a student are there to help you succeed.