When first-year students (Babbius ramikus) come to campus during their annual migration in August, there is a significant effect on the culture around CSU. Restaurants are busier than ever, traffic and parking become more of a nightmare than usual and upperclassmen all around campus celebrate having survived long enough to sport “you honk, we drink” signs.
If you’re having trouble spotting the new students on campus, we’ve got some tips to help you out.
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Lanyards and forever green tee-shirts:
Freshmen are easily recognizable by their bright plumage of lanyards containing their Ramcards and prox keys and their Forever green shirts, which they quickly bring into their clothing rotation.
These both make new students quickly identifiable among the masses on campus.
Travelling in packs:
Their aforementioned clothing and accessory choices are more noticeable when the freshmen travel in packs of three or more.
Perhaps it’s the safety of moving from their residence halls to their 100-level classes together, or simply that the students are not used to not seeing their friends for hours at a time.
If you see a large group moving around campus as one seemingly collective organism, chances are the mass is mostly made of freshman.
Showing up to parties they are probably not invited to:
While many mock the phrase “who do you know here?”, freshmen have a habit of wandering the streets on weekend nights, looking for parties large enough that they can sneak in and drink as much as possible of the host’s booze before moving on to the next party, ultimately drunkenly sneaking back into their hall having paid nothing for the state of drunkenness they’ve achieved.
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Just remember to lock your doors, and never make your event public on Facebook.
Complaining about just about everything:
As freshmen have yet to reach the state of dead-insideness that us upperclassmen have, they have opinions about everything around them. Sometimes it’s worth saying to them “Yes, we get that Ram Welcome, your RA, all of your classes and dorm food especially are terrible and stupid and you’re way too grown up to do anything except drink in your dorm room and make your mom do all of your laundry when you go home for break. But hey, try and enjoy college it a little bit while you’re here.”
While freshmen can be tiny and a little frustrating, just remember: these fresh new faces are the future of the school, and despite everything, they’re probably a little scared to be away from home for the first time. Be sure to take at least one baby ram under your wing, and they might just offer you a meal swipe.
Collegian Social Managing Editor Chapman W. Croskell can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com and on Twitter @Nescwick.
