Written by: Ethan Morgan
Like a newly-freed caged bird singing, the Governor’s Scholars have taken full advantage of the extended perimeter opportunities given to them here at Murray State. Even though the opportunity was in jeopardy because of some questionable scholar behavior, everyone was still able to enjoy a peaceful afternoon out on the town. These prized two and half hours are some of the most anticipated times of the week.
Murray State has a beautiful campus and stunning architecture, but even if you’re locked up in the Taj Mahal a change of scenery comes in handy. And a change in taste buds. Cookout and Sweet Dots seem to be the most popular destinations, with scholars enduring the grueling mile-long walk in the 90 degree hot Murray sun to take advantage of great tasting food at a price minimum (and no, we were not paid off by the Cook-Out corporation). Sweet Dots is close to campus and offers a wide variety of different options, including boba, coffee, and chicken bowls. Another option, Don Sol, is the sit-down restaurant available. The chips and salsa here are a hot commodity.
The rat race begins when the scholars dash from class to sign out of Franklin Hall and then continue to the extended perimeter. The lines are long but the scholars are persistent in their lust for a change in flavors and scenery. All joking aside, extended perimeter is a special treat every week. We are grateful to the diligent RAs who are more than willing to help facilitate (with a smile on their face). Either posted up under an umbrella on the corner street or enjoying fellowship with fellow scholars over a cookout milkshake, you can be sure extended perimeter is a favorite among them as well.
I conducted an unofficial straw poll with little to no validity at all from my adjacent peers, in which I discovered that there were mixed emotions about their experience. For the most part, everyone enjoyed it.
Some said it was “a great time with friends,” although other scholars said it was “overrated” or “not the best part of the GSP experience.” The Scholars were also all over the place on how much dough they dished out. Some folks spent merely $6 at cookout while some high rollers said they spent $60-80! The scholars weren’t shy about voicing their dissatisfactions with the experience either.
Many of the common qualms were “the long lines,” the “non-favorable weather,” which was “either raining or steaming hot.” The most prevalent complaint was that there were “not enough places to go.” One scholar went as far as saying “It’s like being dragged out of hell and being put into a freezer for a minute and then being thrown back into it.”
Extended Perimeter is a GSP staple, and is hopefully to be enjoyed many more times for the remaining time that the scholars have at GSP. – Ethan Morgan