Change is good, right? It allows for growth and the opportunity for better things to come along. Often times we think what we have, works just fine, but then new ideas and practices are introduced and, sometimes, the new is better.
There are those who get to enjoy the old, blissfully unaware of how much better the new can be. These people tend to be the advocates for whatever it is that is being replaced or transformed. As far as they are concerned, it can’t get any better than how they had it.
Then there are those who only experience the new. These people recognize how amazing their situation is without really thinking about how it used to be. In some cases, they do know how things used to operate, but choose to believe that their way is worlds better.
There is another group though, one that is not so lucky as to have an established culture grounding their feet. These people are known as the transition. They are the unlucky few who get caught in the middle of a change that is happening around them.
Unfortunately, that “they” seems to be us right now. The students at the University of Maryland are part of the transition. The campus layout is changing, tailgates aren’t the same and Freshmen Connection no longer seems to actually mean anything.
For upperclassmen, this transition period is more obvious. Things are so clearly different now from when we were freshmen that it is hard for us to believe this is the school we applied to.
Something we pride ourselves on is our beautiful campus. The big “M” made out of flowers at the main entrance, Hornbake Plaza, the path from Stamp to McKeldin Mall that had stone statues. Now, all of those things are on their way to extinction.
The path to the mall no longer exists and soon, a new class and resource building will stand in its place. Once the Purple line of the Metro Rail gets built, there will be no more “M” or Hornbake Plaza.
Being accepted to the Freshmen Connection program used to mean that you had to live off campus and take classes that started no earlier than 3 p.m. Now, with the increasing number of dorm buildings and teaching resources, FC students can live on campus in dorms and most have schedules that end no later than 7 p.m.
Another more widely known transition that we are a part of is the off-campus culture change. The university and the city are working to remove the party scene from Old Town College Park and as a side effect, parties, tailgates and day drinks get shut down quickly. Students are frustrated, joke about transferring and some even tell younger friends not to come here.
What we all have to come to terms with is that we are the transition. Right now, it’s hard for us. We know what it was like two years ago and we know how epic those tailgates and parties were. However, freshmen don’t. They never experienced things the same way we did. Essentially, while it is still frustrating for them to go to parties that are constantly getting shut down, they just don’t know any differently.
It will take a few years, but with each new class, the culture will take another step toward changing for good and the new image of the school will be the one is people’s minds. No one knows whether this change will end up leading to something even better than what we had before, but at least they won’t be hung up on what once was.
It’s hard to be the transition, and some would argue that it isn’t fair, but change has to happen eventually. We may as well learn to make the best of it.
