Using their fingers and imaginations, students showed their colors between the Student Center and New Hall happily with colorful tie-dyed masks on the evening of August 27.
Union Board hosted the event, which was mostly attended by underclassmen. Many of the freshman that attended commented on the difficulties that social distancing had caused when making new friends.
“Coming to this event helped me explore campus more and the events going on. It’s been more difficult trying to connect and socialize with new people,” Bailee Lyons ’24 said. She remains optimistic about meeting others as the semester continues.
Emma Wilson ’24 agreed on the increased difficulty in making friends.
“People are staying in, so it’s more difficult to see new people. I’ve been on campus before committing here, and one of the main draws in coming here was the sense of community the students and staff bring. It’s a whole rush of different emotions and feelings,” Wilson said.
When students were asked for advice on making new friends as underclassmen, lots of ideas came up: send out messages in GroupMe asking people to meet up, talk to students that share similar class schedules, and join clubs, organizations, and other activities that you’d find interesting. It helps substantially to put yourself out there.
The general consensus of students that were asked agreed that they had felt safe on campus.
“I think people are mostly doing a good job in following COVID-19 protocols. It helps being on a small campus, and people can hold each other accountable,” Bryce Anderson ’23 said. If we continue to hold each other accountable, then students will be able to stay on campus to have a better college experience, rather than sitting at home.
With that being said, remember to keep your masks on, social distance, and Tiger Up.
