Pick any upperclassman you know, and ask where she is living. 99.9% chance the answer will be “off campus.” Back in the day, it used to be the norm for everyone to live on campus for all four years. Now, everyone’s all about that Legacy, Dublin Village, Irish Crossings and Clover Village lifestyle (honestly, how many Irish/ND related puns could these housing developers come up with…)
If you’re a junior, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. The friends you have a grade above you all live off, and now your friends as mere juniors are living the so-called luxury lifestyle in the Bend. So, as the rare “on-campus juniors,” I think we can all agree that we feel the greatest impact from this great migration, as I will call it.
Here’s the perspective of this off-campus lifestyle from all of us who still call Lyons, PDub, Cav, Walsh, Ryan etc. home:
1. The DH is the most depressing place EVER.
The fun of the DH isn’t in going to eat all that delicious (cough, cough) food—the fun is seeing all your friends. It’s social hour. Well, now that no one has meal swipes, it’s pretty much the least social place on campus. There are no more good sightings because everyone who walks by you is a freshman. Instead of eating and then sitting for two hours, we eat and get out ASAP.
2. We have to walk approximately 10,000+ miles to every pregame.
There’s now no convenient place to pregame. Instead of walking across the quad, we now get to walk all the way past campus and more. The bright side: we burn off all those calories we’re about to consume.
3. We gladly take advantage of your AC.
The AC is a major perk, especially in this humid South Bend weather. So, we have to admit, part of the appeal of trekking off South and North quad is the opportunity to bask in that AC. Some of us have even gone so far as to search through our contacts to find a place to stay for that reason alone…
4. Getting dropped off at Main Circle alone is depressing.
Everyone used to cab back to campus together. Now, we have to tell the cab driver to drop our one, lonely self at Main Circle before he takes the rest of the cab to “insert off campus house here.”
5. And, post drop-off, it looks like party of one at Recker’s.
Recker’s used to the spot to go—like the DH, you ran into everyone and recapped while you ate pizza and cheese fries that you probably shouldn’t be eating. The new Recker’s: there’s about the five people you know at one table, and the insane amount of underclassmen overwhelm you.
6. Everyone we run into for the first time assumes we’re living off.
Sorry nope, still here!
7. At least we have a quick walk to class.
We will not be the ones running, panting and sweating, into Debart because that “only 15 minute walk from Crossings” the off campus residents brag about is in actuality much longer than 15 minutes. We’ll take our 10 minute stroll, thank you.
8. Campus is empty.
We no longer know those kids tossing footballs on the quad, sitting in LaFun, or walking to and from our dorms. To be honest, Debart is the best bet we have of running into friends. Literally, campus feels dead.
9. We are slightly bitter that your bathrooms are the size of (if not bigger) than our dorm rooms.
This might be an exaggeration, but only one that’s off by a few feet. You don’t have to rub it in.
10. In conclusion, we all agree EVERYONE NEEDS TO MOVE BACK ON!
Yes, the off-campus life has its perks—the on campus crew will definitely utilize the AC, a free bus ride from your doorstep to Feve, and at times might mooch off your car. And thanks for all the parties. But seriously, we all wish you had waited that one extra year (for you juniors, that is).
We say all this, and yet, I’m sure we will be over at your house right after this article is finished….
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