Raquel Vaughn-
Welcome back, Gusties! If you are a returning student, you know the drill. To the incoming class, you’ve got a lot to learn.
Congratulations on graduating high school and making it this far to the threshold of Gustavus Adolphus College; your new home for the next four years! Consider me your big sister, someone who can hold your hand through this big and scary new thing that is college. Come near and listen close as you do, because here’s a list of things to remember as you continue your journey as a brand new Gustie!
Your Gustie Greeters might have called it the Evelyn Young Dining Hall because it technically is called the Evelyn Young Dining Hall. But it also actually isn’t. It’s a mouthful to say so we just call it “the Caf”. As you continue reading this article and living here, you’ll learn that spots on campus are called weird things or something that isn’t close to the original name. For instance, The STEAMery is a café on campus that is niche enough that only Gustavus students would know what you’re talking about if you said, “Want to go to the STEAMery?” But despite the name being fairly easy to say on a day-to-day basis, my friends and I will just call it “the STEAM.” Apparently, we’re too lazy to include the last three letters. We may all be overinvolved, but we’re also too lazy to say campus names properly. Other buildings that are more commonly known by their nicknames are Complex as Plex, Norelius as Co-Ed, Rundstrom as Rundy, and the CIE as the Dive.
When you do find yourself in the Caf, it’s key to remember the tray rule. If you’re not Sandy or a football player, there’s no reason you should be using a tray. The trays in the Caf are primarily for “traying.” Now you may be wondering, what is traying? Well, first-years, let me tell you. It’s when you take trays to the hill in front of Old Main, or the hill behind Plex, and go sledding down them in the dead of winter. Don’t look like an amateur in the Caf. Trays are for play, not food.
On the first day of classes, it’s cool to participate. When the professor asks you to say your name, where you’re from, your pronouns, and what you did during the summer, it’s cool to give that and more. You’re a college student now. You’re no longer too cool for school. Gustavus is a tight-knit community where students and faculty alike want to see you succeed. Implement those relationships on day one. You might as well from the get-go because making connections is inevitable here on the hill.
If you’re someone who gets hot easily, don’t touch the heater in your room. Just leave it off. It’s not like other heaters, it’s hotter than the deepest parts of hell. Putting it on a “one” is controversial enough, but anything above a “two” is a death sentence. There might be some moments during the winter where you’ll have to crack a window open and when the heater’s on, expect to just open it all the way. When you walk around campus all day long in your heavy, warm winter coat, it only gets hotter and you only get sweatier when you get back to your room. Speaking of temperature, the winds plus the cold create the most unbearable feeling. It’s hot in your dorm but freezing outside—we Gusties just can’t win. I’ve told you how to avoid the heat; so here’s how you avoid the cold when you’re outside. Building-hopping is allowed and encouraged. Don’t torture yourself by walking from Beck to Convick (that’s Confer and Vickner’s ship name) just outside. Use Nobel! It’s the second most important reason why it’s there after the STEAMery—to walk through.
If you are a snacky person and find yourself wanting something from the Caf like a bag of chips, don’t hesitate to stock up. The good stuff goes fast. And if you wait until the end of the month and you have leftover money on your meal plan or you’re just looking for a box of Cheez-It’s, then you’ll find yourself out of luck. You’ll be forced to buy the stuff nobody wants just to spend that money. Like “space-flavored” Coca-Cola and jugs of milk. To avoid that, if you see something that you like, don’t hesitate to grab it. Unless it is white cheddar Cheez-It’s… leave those for me. Or, better yet, if you find yourself with more money than planned at the end of the month, then you can just buy stuff for me. Upperclassmen are always in need of food. We’re busy and we unintentionally starve ourselves. Most of our meals are on the go, or we just drink multiple drinks from the Courtyard, aka the Courtyard Café. But somehow we still end with close to nothing to spend on the 30th of every month. So if you’re feeling generous, spend your Caf money on others!
There is so much to learn as a First-year but you have time! Life will get easier and the Gustie culture will become more of a lifestyle the longer you’re here. And because we’re so tight-knit, you can expect everyone to be on your side. Welcome to Gustavus Adolphus College, we hope you enjoy your stay!