Defining the senior class ... the 2009 edition

My fellow graduates, as we reflect on the four years that were our college experience, I would like to take the time to highlight some key memories of our freshman year that only we, as seniors, could understand. Here's to four more years!

1) You remember the time circa September 2005 when literally every apartment could be heard blasting "Gold Digger" ... on repeat. Never again was a song so prevalently played (although "The Sweet Escape" came pretty close the following year).

2) You survived old D-Hall. And I'm not just talking about the terrible food but also the terrible setup where you walked straight into the food serving area so you inevitably carried your bag while holding your tray. (That was the only year I ever dropped my tray.) You also survived under-construction D-Hall. Those were some dark days.

3) You remember when you were actually allowed to go to the apartments on Pig Roast morning.

4) The lodges never opened until after fall break so you were left with almost two whole months of apartment parties.

5) You laughed watching people lay, dig up and re-lay the bricks of the soon-to-be forum. What was that space before?

6) You heard stories of what a campus of kegs was like and, once again, wished you were a student just a few years earlier.

7) You remember when it was a big deal that KA was returning to campus (Will PIKA ever have the same homecoming?)

8) You believed you would have a well-known band for Homecoming every year but were gipped after year one.

9) You knew that PIKA had a mud pit at Pig Roast.

10) You remember when Facebook didn't have photos ... oh, and it was only for college students.

11) People expected a lot out of the basketball team and rarely much from football (what a quick turnaround).

12) You thought it was normal for it to snow in Richmond because it did before winter break even hit.

13) You remember there was always a good chance that class could be canceled for a random power outage.

14) Parties and socials at Los Rios were a common occurrence.

15) Before Taxi Bob was a household name, there was Omelet John.

16) Before "skeeza" was the scandalous word of the year, "mush" was the word of doom. But such usage of it by a former university president brought us the gift of President Ayers.

17) You partied with kids from Tulane for a semester.

18) You probably could automatically name 10 people transferring.

19) Drew Pierson. And all the controversy that he stirred up. (e.g., He once responded to an older alum who criticized his opinion column by saying, "Dear Lady, COLLLEGGGGEEEEEEE.")

20) It seemed as if every faculty member was getting ready to pack up and go to Washington & Lee University.

21) There were students on campus who knew what it was like for men and women's residences to be separated by the lake.

22) You remember when the gym was the same size as your dorm room and smelled worse than Gray Court.

23) Three words: Call. On. Me.

24) There were actually enough Lambda Chis and Phi Delts on campus that you could actually say you were going to one of their parties.

25) You took classes with the same people who were paying $13,000 less to learn the same thing as you. Thanks, tuition increase!

And there you have it. Our college years are over and we will soon be "freshmen" again in the next phase of our lives. Good luck to everyone, and remember, don't become mush after graduation.