Finding the good at SDSU

Brianna Arity Columnist

 

 I’m sure we all get this question: “What is so great about SDSU?” That is the center of every family gathering, which is certain to start a live in-home debate right in the middle of a Thanksgiving dinner. It is a sure-fire question that every college student gets handed once they start their first semester of college. 

I, a sophomore here, still am not sure what the best answer is because you never know how people will react. Is it the homemade ice cream that reminds people of grandma’s desserts? Is it the fact that every weekend there is a jitterbug or some sort of dance somewhere nearby? It could be the agricultural background that comes with being a student here; that no matter what, you will leave here with a common knowledge of livestock and cowboy boots. I mean, that plastic steer outside of Pierson sure has people’s heads turning. Maybe it is that, the fact that you can have a roping lesson whenever you want or find yourself needing one. You never know when you will run into a small motionless steer a couple feet from you. 

SDSU is in a town that was built around campus, maybe that is it. We are a dry campus in a town that has as many bars and alcohol serving establishments as churches. A place that calls themselves a “dry campus” yet we have tailgating on campus and residence halls that allow alcohol such as Hansen Hall. 

In all seriousness, there are a lot of great qualities about Brookings, S.D. We have the Campanile, that in one day can give you the type of exercise you need in a month. There is a Wellness Center that exists where just walking the distance to get there gives you a great workout, yet once you get there, it is a free show of watching laundry bags stuffed full of meat lift weights. 

We live on the kind of campus where long boards and cowboy boots are both accepted, and at the same time. That does not happen often. SDSU screams team spirit. If you want to see a fan base go all out with bodies painted and so many screaming fans you have to arrive at the game over an hour early to get a good spot, then this is the place for you. 

There is no better place for a country fanatic and if you enjoy seeing a welcomed multicultural student base, then stay afloat at SDSU. It is a place where everyone is accepted and there is always someone with the same interests and studies as you. There is constantly a friendly face welcoming you to rope that plastic steer or a nice jitterbug partner waiting for you to “shake that thang.” So as we all get ready to go home for the long breaks and your next great aunt asks you “What is so great about SDSU?” you now have a slew of answers. No more stalling with the “umms” and just blurt it out; “Ice cream, Campanile, cowboys.” 

Brianna Arity is a sophomore early childhood education major. She can be emailed at [email protected]