The following by Daniel Briscoe ’10 is reposted with permission from the May 6, 2010 edition of The Cento, Centre’s student newspaper, under the original title “A farewell tribute to all that is good at Centre.”
1.) Sue, the Cowan [Dining Commons] Empress- I used to dislike Sue, because I thought it was ridiculous that every other [dining commons cashier] would let you type in your [student ID] number without swiping if you forgot your card and Sue wouldn’t (she claims there are cameras watching her). But Sue has taught me personal responsibility (in at least one area of my life). In my freshmen through junior years I had to get eight new swipe cards (pathetic, I know). This year? Zero.
2.) Gen Eds- I appreciate a “Liberal Arts” education more for its “style” than its educational structure. Frankly, it is hard for me to understand how electron configurations will help me in Law school. However, I have to say, I really did enjoy all the different general requirements I took. Religion 110 with Glazier-Mac? Amazing. Bio 110 with Sikkel? Far out.
3.) Professor’s senses of humor- Obviously, the best thing about Centre is the professors. And, besides their academic qualifications, nearly all of them are funny in one way or another. Case in point: Freshmen year, I took Dr. Johnson’s Intro to Economics class. The first day, he pointed out on our syllabus that we were taking a class trip to Chicago. In excitement, I called my parents, and waited all semester for the day we would leave. Our trip to Chicago? A PowerPoint of Dr. Johnson in Chicago. I ended up taking five more classes with BKJ.
4.) Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon- These are the first lines in the Old English poem “Beowulf.” Or rather, what Dr. Rasmussen bellowed upon walking in to the first class of Brit Lit two (filled primarily with freshmen). You know when you get the feeling that your professor literally knows and loves every detail of their subject? That’s another thing that makes Centre awesome.
5.) Cowan Sits- Oh yeah. You know what I’m talking about. Getting a prime table with your best friends and people watching, gossiping, or arguing the existence of a benevolent creator. Some of the best, worst and insanely annoying conversations I have ever had have been seated around a de facto roundtable. Only thing better than a Cowan Sit? When someone drops something in the middle of the cafeteria. I’ve seen it a million times, and it never gets old.
6.) Speedway [the convenience store]- Technically not a part of Centre. But I’ve been to Speedway more than I’ve been to Olin [Hall], so it basically is. Let’s think of all the great things about Speedway: Crazy people that just stand there, 2AM chili-cheese hot dogs, Speedy Reward cards, running into people you hung out with freshman year but barely see anymore, the fact that it is a 24/7 mini-Walmart, and so on. The list goes on and on. And now they sell beer!
7.) Graduating in Four Years- This one probably only makes sense to seniors. But have you been home this year, and had this weird conversation with someone you haven’t seen since high school? Them: Hey, when are you graduating? You: In May… Them: Oh, nice. Yeah I need a fifth year. According to some article I found from the Council for Aid to Education and the National Governors Association, only 42% of undergraduates finish their education in four years (I am at least 42% confident this is a real statistic). Seems crazy right? Even though I’m sad my time at Centre is ending, I’ll definitely be glad in the future that it didn’t take me six years to finish my degree.
8.) The Everyday Café. Ha-ha, just kidding.
9.) Studying Abroad- I cannot emphasize enough how unbelievably fantastic it was to study abroad. If you haven’t gone abroad, you need to apply. When is the next time you will get a chance to go to Nepal? Or spend a semester in Strasbourg? Or study Shakespeare by day and party at the Rocket by night? There’s no point trying to explain how transformative studying abroad is, if you’ve been, you know what I mean. Suffice it to say that it was unquestionably the best thing I have ever done in my life. And I would bet a lot of people feel the same way.
10.) The Greek system- The Greeks catch a lot of flak, some of it deserved, some of it not, but there’s a reason nearly half the school is in a fraternity or sorority. I will now recount the lamest story of my life. I was getting my hair cut the other day, and my stylist (yeah, I said it) asked if I had any siblings, to which I replied, “No.” Then, in a moment of genius/Nicholas Sparks, my stylist (he isn’t a barber, okay?) replied, “Well, at least you have your fraternity brothers.” And, despite the insanity of that story, it expresses how I feel. I’ve made brothers for life.
I’ve loved my time at Centre. I know I’ve primarily used my column to complain about little things, but it is out of love. Ever have your mom tell you that you need to get a job (or seen a movie where a mother tells her kid to get a job?). She doesn’t hate you, she just cares. Centre has been wonderful; I am genuinely going to miss everything about it.
