As the icepack melts and students emerge as butterflies spreading their wings, for the first time being freed of their winter cocoons and of their fear of the outside world — if only temporarily — life begins anew at the Kent campus. With temperatures teasing the end of winter and treacherous, ice-laden sidewalks becoming less lethal, students are realizing how much they appreciate dry pavement. 

The ice is slowly melting. We no longer have to cautiously place each step, as if trying to find purchase climbing a cliff face near the top of an icy peak. My friends, this is a day to rejoice. 

However, with the receding ice and the freedom to walk without plotting and planning your every step, I have noticed a strange phenomenon. Like archeologists exploring the receding ice in Norway, and finding Viking artifacts that were preserved under layers of ice and snow, the melting snow around the Kent campus is revealing its own breed of artifact. 

Treasure and trash are sprouting from the melting snow like daffodils. Among the items I have personally observed are a gold-colored bracelet, a pin that proves someone voted, a full can of Budweiser and countless empty beer and liquor bottles among the trash strewn byways. 

The hunt is on. The attentive traveler may be in for a surprise on his or her walk around the neighborhoods surrounding the university. As disgusted as you rightfully should be by the abandoned trash in the streets, you might also be surprised by the treasures to be found. 

I suspect the lost and found to be busy in the coming weeks, seeing as how we are all responsible and honest people here in Kent. As for the rest of us, how does that old saying go? “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?”

Happy hunting. 

Frank Drellishak is a communication studies major. Contact him at [email protected].