(Judah Shingleton/The Daily Campus)
As spring semester comes to a close, it’s important that us seniors have a chance to say goodbye to our favorite UConn traditions and locations. After all, it’s these special places and activities that have made our college experience unique from any other, and will continue to stick with us long after we graduate. Let’s all take a moment to bid farewell to the events, pastimes and food spots that made campus so meaningful.
Farewell to Gampel Pavilion and the UConn student section. From the chants, to the ridiculous signs to the endless amounts of free t-shirts Gampel Pavilion will always be a staple of school spirit on campus. While there were a few heart wrenching losses, there were many more emotional victories that we shared together. We will continue to root on the Huskies as the years go by, but nothing will compare to the excitement of bouncing up and down in the student section during a close game. Here’s to many more wins and many more championships.
Farewell to Horsebarn Hill and the UConn Dairy Bar. The Dairy Bar was one of our first memories on campus. The tasty reward for surviving a long day of orientation. It’s only right that it is one of our last as well. Home to some of the best ice cream around, it’s the perfect place to bring a friend. The Dairy Bar’s neighbor, Horsebarn Hill, provided some of the most picturesque views on campus. Whether it’s taking pictures of the beautiful skyline, visiting the cows or going sledding, Horsebarn Hill offered us countless memories over the last four years. Here’s to sundaes and sunsets.
Farewell to the Rec Center and all the intramural leagues we participated in. Whether it was working out, playing a sport or participating in a fitness class, the Rec Center had a little something for everyone. We had an intramural league for just about every sport imaginable. While some of us chose to take the competition more seriously than others, intramural sports allowed us to spend quality time with some of our closest friends. Let’s not forget the biggest intramural event of them all, Oozeball! Here’s to muddy clothes and lasting friendships.
Farewell to the Homer Babbidge Library and the countless hours we spent studying for exams. Now this one we might actually be happy we’re saying goodbye to. That’s not to say that Homer B didn’t give us some good memories as well. We solved problems with our friends, we finished papers and maybe we even took some power naps here and there. The library gave us a quiet place where we could push our intellectual boundaries. Here’s to acing tests and finishing group projects.
Farewell to Ted’s, Huskies and Grille 86. Who could forget all the weekends we spent unwinding from the stress of classes. Weekend life is one of the most unforgettable parts of college. It is a time when you’re able to make your closest friends and share countless laughs. Here’s to Double Nickel and “Old Town Road.”
While those are some of the campus-wide traditions and locations that all of us hold dear, let’s not forget about the little moments and places that shaped our college experiences as well. Maybe it’s your secret study spot, the elevator where you met a close friend or a bench by Mirror Lake where you had a meaningful conversation. As the years go by, it’s the little memories that will stand out the most. The unplanned and sincere moments. Here’s to lifelong memories as a UConn Husky.
Matt Souvigney is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. He can be reached via email at matthew.souvigney@uconn.edu.
