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COMMENTARY MAY 6, 2004 - Page 11 Looking Back: Seniors share McDaniel memories 'Changes ahead: "I am jealous of those not graduating" This is my last contribu- mentor: "Believe me, when embraced the benefits of a lib- already made, and look forward tion to The McDaniel Free Press you get to be a senior like me, eral arts education that are in- Lewis Hall of Sciences. the to those in the future; the name Furthermore, before this place will feel like home. accessible at larger colleges. "grand entrance" to the cam- "McDaniel" is unquestionably gradua- It grows on you." Additionally, J was establish- pus is near completion, the on the rise. To those unsatisfied tion. I Freshmen year was ing substantial Friendships new academic building is with the social scene, 1 recom- am go- rocky at best. Campus safety with all types of people. In well under way, the mend that you give it time; let ing to sunk its claws in me, and retrospect, although [ may WebAdvisor program is McDaniel College "grow on s pea k "Westmonster" (the name have been acquainted with about to take off, and a new you" as it did for me. You are bluntly. says it all) nearly swallowed more people if I had attended turf for the football field is not enrolled at a party school. At the me up; I hated this school. a different school, I believe under development, renew- But there are plenty of people end of However, for some unknown that I know more about my ing a contract with the Balti- strolling through campus yOll m y reason, I returned to campus friends at Mc Oaruel.than more Ravens until 2010. have yet to meet. f r e 5 h- sophomore year. After a year other individuals do at differ- Clearly, McDaniel College's Make the best of what you man spent "learning the ropes" at ent schools. How could you "Ten Year Strategic Plan" is in have got-an opportunity to year, I was going to transfer. Western Maryland, things fi- not know your peers inside full swing. Regrettably, r will know people on a deeply per- Most of my high school friends nally started falling Jnto and outata school witha lim- not be around to reap the sonallevel while receiving a ter- enrolled at Virginia Tech.james place. Freshmen year weeds ited population? benefits. rific, hands-on education at a Madison University, or another out the counterfeit Green Ter- My days as a McDaniel For freshmen contem- college that is about to blast off.. large state school. I was frus- rors-students who cannot student are -finished in less plating a college transfer, con- ROBBIE SAVILLE trated by the nightlife at West- hack the demands of higher than a month, and I am jeal- sider the vast improvements SENIOR WRITER ern Maryland College, which education, as well as those ous of those not graduating. pales in comparison to the e)(- who transfer to a more fast- Anyone who does not realize citing ruckus of a university en- paced, socially stimulating that McDaniel College is vironment. school. Yet for those who re- about to become ten times the During freshmen orienta- turn to campus, camaraderie school it was in 2000 is igno- tion, I remember strolling and a sense of belonging rant. Aside from the name Fondest memories around my new "home," ap- grows. change, since my enrollment were planted in Whiteford prehensively observing the Parallel to the college's in the fall of 2000, the North seemingly miniscule dimen- name change, gradually my Village apartments sions of the campus. Almost in- disapproving attitude to- built, a coffee shop was estab- stantly, Idetermined that I had ward the college community lished in the pub, the selected the wrong college. turned the corner. Both pro- Harrison parking lot was Thank God it's Senior own paths and choose a ma- However, looking' back, I fessors and students knew constructed, the bottom of Year jor. I started to weigh my pri- clearly and gratefully recall the my name; r had escaped from Big Baker was renovated and Yes, the old adage orities. I thi.nk you grow up a reassuring .words of my peer my jail cell in Rouzer, and 1 a new wing was added to "time flies when you're hav- lot your second year, finally ing fun" is true. But what's able to have transportation on even more campus, finally over the Between pub runs and papers, true is that homesickness. As a junior, T was bom- freshman year is the barded by urgings to find an college was more than expected cious. intemslnp, bring up my GPA, most pre- and join yet another organiza- Look- tion. Finally, here J am, sitting ing back in front of my computer-my College was not what J ex- (yes Rouzer), a PA Avenue graduate from;a school with on these umbilical cord. This baby has pected. It was more. Far more. J house and now the Ta]Mahal a different name from when last four .gotten me through all- remember through the of North Village. I went to we entered and leave years, my fondest memories nighters and it has been my college football and baseball games, McDaniel College as a place are still planted in room 315 sole form of communication sea r c h joined campus groups, that has come to fill such a of Whiteford Hall. I'll al- with New Jersey, my home during worked internships, played large part of our hearts. Our ways reminisce about the state. my jun- intra murals, and mastered moms will cry because that's wrestling matches where 1 I am overwhelmed by ior year Snood and the art of talking what moms do and our dads cheered on my boyfriend at the job search, sick of the of high on Instant Messenger. will stand proud and take joy the time, the late night walks "What are you going to do school. I Somewhere in there in our accomplishments. We back from Blanche and ex- when you graduate?" badger- cam e was President Coley's inau- will enter our jobs. or grad changing gossip with the ing and excited as hell that I across guration, the election of school as an elite class of in- girls on my floor during so- have made it this far. College the then President Bush, the name dividuals and make a differ- rority rush week. is a mixture of emotions. I Western change, September 11,a bliz- ence in the world because The cliques broke cherish every single one. Maryland College when out zard and a hurricane. If you McDaniel College has taught apart sophomore year. ERIN ROMANSKI with my dad for a car ride in the had asked me then how I pic- us how. People started to find their SENIOR WRITER country hued myself to be four years KATIE CHAMPION I stopped in, picked up a in the future, it would not be SENIOR WRITER few brochures, and quickly what 1 am today. TIle truth learned that WMC was a place is, McDaniel has changed me that claimed to "change lives." and ina way, has changed my , I am not sure what exactly led me to decide that WMC was the ~~b~r~~:,Wgh;l~ecboe~::e~l!~~' ~""" place that I wanted to spend my ding, sunsets viewed from ne~t four years. It could have "The Pissing Rock," Thurs- been the handwritten note on day night Friends episodes ~y acceptance letter or the and late nights in Hoover, my unique beauty of our campus. life did change. Maybe it was the small class size All of our lives or the green and gold colors that changed. We grew up. v« have been a part of my life since reaped the benefits of a lib- first grade. What I do know is eral arts education. We took And Munchies Galore that looking back, I cannot classes ranging in subject imagine spending the past four from astronomy to documen- Free Delivery for AI.I. years anywhere else. tary film analysis. And some- COI.I.EGESTUDENTS I believe that I had the full how, all of our experiences $0.50 off 117PAAve. college experience. I worked have prepared us to move on the meal deal aoross from Little George's hard, partied hard and my car and take the next big step into got hit in the ANW parking lot. the real world. Burger and Shake I lived in Whiteford, Rouzer In two weeks we will 410-751-5510