Any Reason to Celebrate by Carla
Spring started today, but the campus celebrated early. A few days ago, the campus went green for St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much green. It’s apparently a big hit on college campuses. I have a theory, though, after witnessing Halloween, Valentine’s Day and a variety of home games here in Bowling Green. Here’s my theory: students and faculty will accept any reason to celebrate.
At home, I usually wore something green to honor St. Patrick’s Day. Some years, I’d forget. My eyes are green, so I’m safe. Here, students don’t treat the holiday lightly. By luck, Thursday turned out to be a beautiful, warm day and the warm weather draws everyone outside. Everywhere I looked, I saw crazy, green outfits and cheerful faces. I saw some entertaining choices of clothing. I passed a family who looked like they were on a college visit and tried to imagine their impressions of us.
While the holiday seems to have a reputation on campuses as a drinking holiday, it was nice to see a lot of students conduct themselves really well. College brings a lot of freedom, and everyone handles that freedom differently. I was proud of my floor when Friday morning rolled around, though. No one was stumbling through our hallways, holding their heads in pain. I did show up to a fairly empty 9:30 class, but on a Friday, that’s nothing unusual. It turns out that a lot of students can handle their freedom. As for the rest—they’re at least entertaining to watch.
My personal experience with St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t that special, so I’ll spare you the details. I enjoyed some green junk food and learned a couple things about the Irish, so it was still a success. A friend of mine actually drove to Bowling Green from Clyde to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day here, which must be a testament to our great, pseudo-Irish spirit (or his sheer boredom, or both). Overall, it was nice to see students and staff in good moods. I have a feeling we’ll find interesting ways to celebrate the end of the school year, too. We’ll know in six weeks, I guess!