As Captains, we pride ourselves in having a strong community. We support each other, love our faculty and staff, and will always be there to hold a door when you need it, and even when you don’t from an uncomfortably far distance (definitely speaking from personal experience with that one). But there are some other things I’ve discovered and tested myself that you might not know we do for each other at CNU. Here are some I’d like to share:
1) Help you carry things various places. The amount of times I have struggled with carrying packages or other items on campus and have been offered help is touching. Most of the time it is from friends or acquaintances, but kind strangers too are willing to lend a helping hand.
2) Guest swipe a friend or family member into the dining hall. If you run out of meal swipes and are desperate, you can count on someone in the area to give you one of their meal swipes if you just ask. Most people don’t plan on using them during the semester, so it’s no big deal to them! Just get over the awkwardness of going up and asking a stranger for a favor, and it’ll all be ok.
3) Tell you when your clothing is doing something it shouldn’t. Skirt riding up? Shoe lace undone? Zipper down? (Maybe that one’s only applicable to point out if you know the person well enough). For girls, this extends to makeup smudging and hair out of place too. If it were me, I’d definitely want to be told if something was out of place so I can fix it right then! I have gone out of my way to tell someone that they needed to fix XYZ and they have only been grateful, even perfect strangers who are surprised at first that I’m approaching them.
4) Give compliments. I have seen it more on this campus than anywhere else. People here are good about giving genuine compliments to friends and strangers alike. When someone looks good, I think they should be aware of it, and making someone smile because you notice the little things, like that lip color really working for them or an awesome pair of earrings (sorry guys, is the equivalent having a nice belt or something?) can make someone’s day. I know I always feel more positive and confident after such interactions.
5) Eat with you in the dining halls. Do you have FOEA (Fear of Eating Alone)? Well, fear not, because people are open to you sitting with them if you only ask! I asked random people I did not know at all if I could sit with them for lunch and dinner, and I won’t lie, the first time I felt really awkward and had no idea what to expect. To my delight, I ended up having some great conversation and meeting cool people I wouldn’t have if I wasn’t crazy enough to crash their meal. You think I’m crazy? Try it for yourself and see who you’ll meet!
Notice that all of the above require the same things: confidence and stepping out of your comfort zone. If you are willing to put yourself out there, both to ask for or give something, the results you will get can be surprisingly great and not only make your day better, but others’ too. Keep it up Captains! I’ll be seeing you holding that door.