Dear Montevallo,
When we started to school here as freshmen we knew that you were something special. As freshman year came to a close we knew exactly why. We love you and here are the reasons you've stolen our hearts:
The bricks.
The bricks are one of your major statement pieces, Montevallo. They’re beautiful and they add so much character to the campus. We all have a love-hate relationship with them, though, after a few face plants, but to those who can walk across campus without looking at their feet, kudos to you! No wonder there’s a back to school party on campus called “Trippin’ on the Bricks.”
The mailboxes.
Never in our lives have we loved how a mailbox looked until now.
The bells.
You know, the bells that chime from the church on Main Street really do make the place a true small southern town. Hearing the bells chime during the day on campus really adds to the amazing atmosphere you provide us. Waking up on a sunny Sunday morning and walking to church as the bells chime can be an amazing and peaceful experience.
Your acceptance policy.
No, we aren’t talking about being accepted into the university, we are talking about how you make people feel like they belong. So shout out to the guy with the hat, the girl with the colorful hair, the theater kids, the students on SGA, the vocal majors, the honors kids, the speech path majors, our aMOOzing purple families, classy golds, and the rest of Montevallo because the weirder you are, the more you fit in. Stay weird, Montevallo.
Your size.
A major characteristic that sells students on going here is the size of the university. We love that we aren’t just a number to the faculty. We like building relationships with our professors. We love that we can see the president walking down the brick sidewalks on his cellphone and how he'll stop to wave at everyone. Most of all, we love that we know almost every face on campus.
Your traditions.
Since you don’t have a football team we had to get creative, and thus, the birth of College Night. It’s the longest running college tradition in the nation and it’s absolutely amazing. It really brings the campus together and helps everyone get to know each other, giving the campus a sense of unity (after College Night season, of course). The Life Raft Debate is unique as well. I mean, where else do teachers compete to secure the last place in a metaphorical life raft? Where else would the professor who plays the devil’s advocate win because he has a grudge against another professor who said chess was a stupid game? Seriously, what other school does stuff like this?!
Your community.
Like we’ve said, we love how small you are and how you make us all feel welcome. You create this incredible community. The fact that the entire student body gets together once a year to go out to the surrounding community and volunteer is fantastic (aka The Big Event)! People who would never be friends ARE friends. It’s like magic. It’s an amazing feeling when you walk somewhere on campus and nonchalantly bump into 5 or 6 people you know (and that’s just walking for 3 minutes)! We know that if we are ever in need we have people we can call and they’ll be there for us. You’ve given us a community that is more like a family and we love you for it.
If we want to go somewhere, we have to take an adventure to get there.
A lot of people decide not to come to you, Montevallo, because of how small you are and how far away you seem to be from everything. However, we love it! Every time we need to go somewhere, like Walmart, we grab a buddy and make a trip of it. Walmart trips have to be one of the most hilarious things ever, especially at 2 am. You have to make the most out of things in life and a 10 to 15-minute drive to Walmart is one of those things. Like that one time we saw a llama outside of the McDonald's that was beside Walmart at 11:30 pm. Whether it’s blaring music with the windows down as we sing at the top of our lungs down the back roads or if it’s those seriously deep conversations, there’s always going to be an inside joke or interesting story that comes of it.
PSA: Beware of lightsaber battles in the middle of the toy aisles at Walmart!
Huddle House at midnight.
Huddle House at midnight… or really like 1 am. Need I say more?
You’re our home away from home.
Overall, Montevallo, we love you because you make us feel like we have a home away from home. You have given us a family, a support system, a beautiful environment, awesome academic programs, and memories that will last us a lifetime. As someone recently put it, we are a band of misfits, and that’s what makes you so special, the fact that you can bring in such a diverse group of students and make them feel at home.
Thank you, Montevallo, for all that you’ve given us. We can't wait to gain more memories and experience more laughter. There are so many more reasons to love you, but there are only so many words in the English language.
With Much Love,
Your Band of Misfits
