Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.

Well, it’s official: The school year is in full swing again. With that comes the large abundance of tables and people out in The Plaza trying to get you to join their club, fraternity or sorority or even just talk to you about politics.

But if any of you feel like I do, then you know that the walk from your class on campus through The Plaza to get a coffee or some food is the longest and most stressful stretch of campus you could ever walk. And that is all thanks to the people never wanting to stop talking to you.

Now, I understand it’s important to join clubs and participate in fun opportunities around campus, but isn’t there a better way to get our attention than bugging us on the way to class or lunch? I mean, the stress of having to go from one class to the next — plus having to walk through a big crowd of people on your way through The Plaza — is hard enough without being asked to stop five times.

Even then, the stress of people being in The Plaza for recruitment is just the half of it. You also have those who are preaching in The Plaza and gain a big crowd around them, either forcing you to make a big loop around the group or walk straight through and risk getting yelled at by the group surrounding the preachers.

I mean, yes, we are supposed to find our community of people here while we are building up our fortifying years of college. But I also know what it feels like to be so stressed getting to class and trying to figure out where the Engineering Building is that often, the large crowd of people blocking your way makes it way harder to find the building you are looking for, and there is no true way around it but through.

I know what you may be thinking: We are not all required to stop, or we can all find a roundabout way to get through campus. And yes, we aren’t required to walk through The Plaza; however, it is highly encouraged that we still walk through, right?

I mean, even if you are someone who has already joined all the clubs and walks through The Plaza thinking you will be around peers you have met in other clubs,  you are still getting stopped by new people. You may avoid eye contact or throw your earbuds in to stop people from talking to you, but that still doesn’t stop them.

So how do you do it? How do you stop all the madness and avoid it all for the foreseeable future? Well, if you aren’t one to find roundabout ways to get into the Lory Student Center or find a different place to get your lunch for the day, then there isn’t really a way to avoid it.

All you can do is embrace the chaos of The Plaza and walk right through without thinking twice about how stressful it would be to get stopped, despite knowing how much you don’t want to. And who knows? Maybe you will discover something — or someone — new within the crowd.

Reach Dominique Lopez at letters@collegian.com or on Twitter @caffeinateddee6.