seniors

What is it about freshmen thatwe Seniorsfindso powerfully irritating?

Is it theircomplete ignorance ofthestudent's life which we've soproficiently mastered, ortheir refreshingbut-often-annoying chirpsofexcitementthatkeep us awake late at night? Could it possiblybetheir ex-BMOC attitudeswhich we soquickly destroyed thefirst timethey asked fordirectionstoDeMoss orboasted aboutthe explosionofmailoverflowing from theirboxes?

What do they thinkwe do when they park their cars (tassels still hanging from therear-view mirror) inthe limited spacesforwhich we've sogreatlytoiled? They forceus tohikefrom David'sPlacewhich makes uslate for ourimportant, UPPER-level classes, even though it doesn't matterif theymake it toPHED 101 beforeshower call or not

How aboutwhen theyskiparound the library, chattingand tearingup themagazines insearch ofarticles fortheirGNED class, whilewe'retryingtoprepare for life?

To hazard aguess, I'd say it was acombination ofall theabove, plusquiteabit more

But maybe it's deeper than that Maybe,way down in theback ofoursubconsciousminds, we'rea tiny bit envious

With thegreatunknown approaching soquickly, maybe ourirritationstemsfrom subconscious fears (No,I'm notapsych major)

You see, we've enjoyed thosedays ofcareless loungingon thecouchesinDeMoss (Did you know they were actuallybluethelast timeI sat on them?) And only recentlydid I throw outmy collectionofMovies 10ticket stubs Therewas alsoatimewhen I obeyed thedresscode rigidly, now I'velearned who toavoid when I'm not

You see, thosewere thegood days, because they were theeasydays Whenever I hearfreshmen complaining of theirincredibleclass loadsortheenormous amount of stress they're under, I just have tochuckle Maybe, in some smallway,they might actuallybe stressed, but it's nothing compared towhat they'll be experiencing inthe nextthree years.

Anyway,ifoffered thechance, I'm surenone ofus would everdo it all overagain The fact is, I guess we ratherlike ourexalted position, stress included How else would we be ableto bully somany freshmen around forso long?

But this is notapositionany ofusplansto keep. Come May,we'regrabbing our parchments and cruising on outofhere, leavingonly tassel dustand a lot of memories behindus

Many students returned dreaming of the easy life that would be theirs with only one roommate. Their dreams turned to nightmares when they opened the door and rokenairconditioners ... creakybeds ... creepyspiders... Overcrowded rooms.. peaceful imagesof dorm life Attimes, you wishitwould allgoup in smoke — the dorm,yourroommates, the spiders, allof it Lookingbackover yourpreviousyears,thegood and the bad aboutdorm lifeseem tofade away into dullapathy. By thetime you get backhereeachAugust, you can'tremember why you loved leavinglastMay.

Dorm life doeshaveitsuptimes. The roommates (thosefourof you outtherethatactuallyget along), thesupportand friendship of thepeoplearound you (the ones you borrow popcornfrom and usetheir phone when you need it),the dorm parents(ifyou'veeverseenthemin yourwholecollegecareer) andthe lastingfriendshipsyou develop (yeah, whatever)

All jokingaside, thereare some reallygreatthingsaboutlivinginthe dorm. Foronething, you don'thave to waitfor yourcartowarm upin themorning, and you neverhaveto waitfor atrain on yourway toclass. Ofcourse,you do havetowatchfor speedingmotoristswho refuseto stopatcrosswalks,butonegetsused tothat

Every good thinghasitsbad points— even dormlife.

New studentsweren't aware thatthingscould be betterthan the rumors they'd heard and werejust glad they didn'thave tostand knee deep inmud on top ofa mountain singing "IWant That New Cafeteria." The returning studentswho'd planned and picked outa (notice"a" issingular)roommate and room had a few surpriseswhen they finally lugged theirstuffup the steps.

"What!" was thereactionof juniorCraig Ashley when he returned tofindhislittle nest already inhabited by three others. "Because I was inthehostdorm, I justassumed I'd only have one roommate. What asurprise!"

JenHalemoved into the senior dorms withmuch anticipation.As a second-yearsenior, shewasexcited aboutthe school's recentpurchaseof the buildingsthathad sat emptyfor solong. Butshesleptin afriend's room the firstnightbecausetheair conditionerinhersuite wasbroken. Temperatures were abit warm in August, ifyou'llrecall.

"Itwas 95degreesinthere!" she exclaimed.

Allacrosscampus,stories like theseprevailed With over2,300 new students, mostly freshmen, where elsecould residence life house them butwith you?

Meeting and dealing with RA.s was an excitingadventurefor most new students. Freshman Jacob Caywood describeshis experienceswith them:

"Then there'stheRA.s — thoseupperclassmen who, in their struggle tomake collegelikehome, still findtime togiveyoureprimands fornotliningup yourshoes. However,inbetween checkinghair length and searching bedpostsfor dust, they still setaparthoursin their schedulesforhallmeetings — thoseweekly reminders ofjust how many ways theretrulyareto receivereprimands."

College and dorm life — the two go hand-in-hand. That is, until you turn22 ordevelop extreme allergies(what kindsof allergies, you decide) Untilthen, carry your key with pride This overcrowding unlocks anew eraoffinancial freedom forLU,and home sweet home foryou

Somewhere