In our News section this week, Staff Writer Jordan Patterson reported on how Fredonia was chosen to participate in a program called “Re-imagining the First Year of College.” This program is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which means it’s a tremendous opportunity. Fredonia is hoping to figure out what it can fix in order to attract, but mostly retain, freshmen.
The Leader staff took it upon itself to imagine a scenario where the Gateses hand over a blank check and say “go back in time and fix your own freshman year at Fredonia.” What are some of the things that we wish were different when we were freshmen? What are some things that we had that freshmen don’t get anymore?
“Freshman year was my favorite year so far at Fredonia,” said one Leader staff member. “But, maybe that’s because I had things available to me — like the drunk bus and Erie Dining Hall — that freshmen no longer have. Bill and Melinda Gates should totally fund a new dining hall and night public transportation.”
Erie Dining Hall disappeared the Fall of 2013, and the drunk bus was no more at the beginning of last semester. Now, Erie Hall stands vacant and students have to find their own way to get downtown on the weekends. While these problems aren’t the end of the world, they’re emphasized by Fredonia’s harsh winters.
Students who live in the suite buildings on campus now don’t have that 10-foot walk to Erie — they have to go all the way to the main part of campus, traipsing through snow on slippery sidewalks. The walk from campus to downtown is even worse, especially when the temperature is in the negatives.
“Maybe Bill and Melinda could make Fredonia more winter-friendly,” added the staff member. “How about some underground heated tunnels? How about a more efficient plowing/shoveling system? How about more salt so I don’t always fall every time I try to walk on a sidewalk?”
As it turns out, however, the staff generally had great freshman year experiences. Some members wish they could go back in time and dump their high school boyfriend sooner, some wish they had paid more attention to their GPAs. Freshman year was a time when everything was fresh and new — we were making friends and finding our niches.
“I honestly wouldn’t have changed anything about freshman year … I was actually more involved on campus my freshman year than any other. I made tons of friends, I did community service, and I scarcely partied,” said a second Leader staff member. “The only thing I would maybe tell myself is to try harder in CCC classes, because it turns out your GPA does actually matter.”
The consensus among the staff is that each person is responsible for creating his or her own freshman experience. No matter how many awful roommates we had, or how many drunken, crying moments, those memories are ours and the experiences made us who we are today as upperclassmen.
“As much as I hated my freshman year I wouldn’t change a thing,” said a third Leader staff member. “I learned a lot about myself …”
So, Gateses, unless you can fund research on a time machine so we can go back in time and come into college single, the Leader staff says “keep your money.” Unless, of course, you want to check out those winter-related suggestions.