LSA senior Chris Molina said one of the things he most remembers from his past four years in college is an incident from his freshman year, when he lived at 2nd Wenley in West Quad Residence Hall.
“There was a stray cat running around West Quad, so we brought it into our hall and we had a cat named Wenley for two days,” Molina said. “It started going to the bathroom everywhere so we had to take it out,” he added.
In addition to the little moments, this year’s seniors have witnessed monumental events including the war in Iraq, the Sept. 11 attacks, the dawning of a new millennium and the ongoing legal wrangling regarding the University’s admissions policies. But many, like Molina, said what they remember most about college is the little things.
“One thing I’ll miss is just being around friends all the time,” LSA senior Paul Gabrail said. “It’s just the nice thing of knowing that you come home and there’s all your four or five best friends right there,” he added.
LSA senior Derek Richardson said he remembers swimming in lakes around Ann Arbor late at night with his friends and “mostly just the really bizarre things we did.” Richardson also recalled a staple of campus life – going to football games. “I remember just walking every Saturday morning past huge crowds of people and having this huge mass of people walking towards the stadium with you,” he said.
LSA senior Hetal Desai said she remembers going to Kilwin’s to eat ice cream. Many seniors had fond memories of eating out on campus.
“I’ve been to Charley’s and Brown Jug far more times than I’d like to share,” Gabrail said.
“I was the queen of late night take-out,” LSA senior Najia Sheikh said. But Sheikh also recalled more serious events such as the admissions lawsuits and said what impressed her most throughout was the impact that students had on these events and the University community. “I feel like at (the University) we really do make a difference,” she said, noting the numerous humanitarian, community service, and cultural activities students can participate in on campus.
“There’s just so much going on,” Sheikh said. “I remember the diversity of people and activities, and just the energy of (the University).” Sheikh added.
LSA senior Chrissy Brown also said she will remember the diversity on campus. “I come from a pretty small town and it’s pretty homogeneous. I think I’ll miss all the cultural diversity, just all of the different people,” she said.
Many students expressed appreciation for the benefits of campus life, such as the opportunity to see prominent speakers who came to campus.
LSA senior Andrea Novelly said she remembers meeting John McCain as a freshman. “I shook his hand and I thought that was pretty cool,” she said. “I just remember thinking that I was very lucky to have the opportunity to come to the University,” she added.