Well Jackrabbits, yet another summer has come and gone and while the heat and humidity may make it difficult to accept this fact, it’s already time for the usual fall festivities here at SDSU. For many, this time of year comes with a big adjustment. Whether it is moving from high school to college in the case of freshmen, or simply the switch from full time employment to full time academic work, the fall season always begins with adjustments. 

If you ask me, as someone who spent the summer months in the lovely town of Brookings, the adjustment of population is probably one of the more drastic ones.

Starting with finals week, the population of Brookings decreased drastically, the population of campus itself was almost zero. With residence halls closed, and classes out of session, the SDSU campus was a ghost town. At first, this in itself was an adjustment, suddenly fighting for a parking spot was no longer an issue, and the line at open food places was almost non-existent. At first this seemed strange and boring. However, there were many advantages to having campus pretty much evacuated and it did not take long for those of us left here to become used to the new environment. 

It took minimal time to drive anywhere and the construction was no longer an inconvenience on campus as I only had to walk in and out of the The Union to the parking lot. 

Parking was free and open anywhere on campus and with minimal students and employees on campus, finding a spot was a two minute process versus a 15 minute scouting expedition. The bookstore was easily navigated, and there was little issue finding a place to sit for a few minutes in The Union. 

Jump forward four months and in one weekend the size of Brookings was increased by thousands. Suddenly the parking lots were filled, residence halls full of life, and the amount of people in The Union blew up. Lines for food places appear to be a mile long and the line for books wraps all the way around the back of the store. 

Everywhere you turn there are crowds of people to maneuver around and most likely you have a lot of waiting in store once you reach your destination. This increase in people and activity makes life a lot more complicated in comparison to the summer months which felt much more relaxed and easy going on campus. 

The crowds of people and the beginnings of all the campus activities and events are accompanied by a sense of chaos on campus. 

For those of us who spent the summer here, growing accustomed to the lack of commotion on campus, this rush of back-to-school activity seems a bit too much to handle at times. 

However, as much as this first week of panic and chaos feels like a nuisance, it just wouldn’t be the SDSU campus we have all grown to love without all the hustle and action that keeps things interesting. So fellow Jacks, welcome back to another exciting year.

 

 

Madison Anderson is The Collegian’s  Opinion Editor. She can be reached at    [email protected]