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"Reflections on the First Semester at Rollins"

Wednesday, December 15, 2005

The sweat poured down my pasty Midwestern face as I grudgingly unloaded the back of the van, careful to not forget any of the essential college items my mom and I had picked up in the past week.  Amidst the rapidly forming puddles of perspiration and my mom’s fourteen extra pairs of socks, I saw something glimmer in that hot August sun: it was the Rollins College seal, emblazoning my folder of important documents. At that moment, it really hit me: I was at college.  This wasn’t just a trip to summer camp or a prolonged visit to Grandma’s house.

Move-in day was later said to be the hottest day of an already sweltering Florida summer. I think that it’s safe to say that I made the trek up four flights of stairs to my McKean residence hall room more than just a few times.  However, in the end, I survived, and in the process got a better workout than any during my four years of high school basketball.

Coming to Rollins from the great state of Ohio, I knew a few things about the place: Rollins was a great college, Rollins was in Florida, and Rollins was the home of Mister Rogers. Looking back on my first semester here at the college, I can say that the school has certainly been everything I had thought it to be…and more.

After a week of orientation, my first day of real classes was a blast. After class, we really didn’t know what to do with ourselves. Should we study? Should we eat? Should we go to the pool? The answer was all of the above.  I can tell you from first hand experience that only two of the last three components work together.  My RCC (more on that later) classmates and I thought that it would be a fantastic idea to take our lunches out to our lake-front Alfond swimming pool and get some reading done.  We certainly ate our lunches at the pool, and while our books came with us, they got more wet than read. Some people claim to be able to pull off studying by the pool. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. 

Back to the whole issue of the RCC—it’s basically the home base for first-year students.  The Rollins Conference Course is a class that each first-year must take…there are dozens of classes ranging from Activism to German, Uncalculus to National Parks. These are genuinely interesting classes taught by some of Rollins’ most experienced faculty.  I’m in the Outsiders and Misfits RCC class taught by Dr. Gary Williams.  We’ve examined people from the humanities who just didn’t fit in, and we’re attempting to figure out why these people didn’t mesh with society and what we can learn from them.  Each class has a series of “peer-mentors”, or upper-class students who will serve as your guides for your first semester at Rollins and will actually take the class with you. These peer mentors go to orientation with you and plan social events for your RCC class on Friday afternoons called “Fox Fridays”.  I’ve grown quite attached to my trio of wonderful mentors: Abi, Carly, and Danielle. I can say that it is fantastic to have a group of upperclassmen advisors firmly in place when you arrive.  In addition to going to class with my RCC classmates, I also live with them.  My all-freshman dorm, McKean Hall, houses about half of my class in these living-learning communities (LLCs).  They definitely work out very well, although I have other freshman friends who live in other non-LCC dorms who certainly have had just as positive experiences.

Aside from attempting to not fail out of college (I think it’s working so far), my plan for the first semester was to find some organizations where I could have some fun and get some things accomplished.  I was always involved with student government in high school, so I figured that it might not be such a bad idea to get involved with Rollins’ Student Government Association (SGA).  In the first week of September, I campaigned throughout my residence hall (promised personal favors, rides in the SGA jet, free parking, you know!) and was elected to the Senate as a representative from McKean Hall.  In addition to SGA, I’ve tried to get involved with other organizations. I’ve written articles and taken photos for The Sandspur (the oldest collegiate newspaper in Florida), become a full-fledged tour guide for Admissions, and have had some great times playing intramural basketball at the Alfond Sports Center. If there is one word to describe extracurricular activities at Rollins, accessibility would be the one I’d choose. Because we are such a tight-knit student body, it’s easy to join any organization. All student groups have open meetings and absolutely love to have as many students in attendance as possible.  Starting your own club is easy as well. I’m currently in the process of starting a student organization called Rollins Relief.  The plan is to have our members trained by the Red Cross and by FEMA and then go out and help people in areas affected by catastrophes. We’re planning our first trip to the Hurricane Katrina ravaged areas over Winter Break.  Suffice to say, student organizations are definitely priorities at Rollins.

All-in-all, my first semester has been a blast.  I’ve found my classes to be wonderfully engaging and the opportunities for students to be endless. In the last paragraph, I talked about the accessibility of Rollins organizations. As a whole, Rollins is not only an accessible community, but an adaptable one as well. We’re focused on developing and bettering each other and our community. And, my knowledge of Rollins before starting here is still true: Rollins is a great school, Rollins is in Florida, and Rollins educated Mister Rogers. What more could you want? Hopefully I’ll see you on a tour.

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