Every college or university has its specific commonalities, clichés and stereotypes within the campus. To other universities VCU is known to be the home to basketball players, art students and future doctors, but only when you actually spend time on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus you see the real people of VCU.
The Tony Hawks.
These people need a life alert and a first aid kit wherever they go. Their sometimes-successful skate tricks leave bystanders in shock and fear because they fall more than they land. Although their determination is compliment worthy, it is not the best when one falls right next to you and scares you half to death. They are also everywhere; any place with railings, stairs or even tables you will encounter the Tony Hawks of VCU.
The ones you avoid.
There are a good chunk of people in this category; including the religious ones and the protestors. Since VCU is a very accepting and diverse school, people take full advantage of it. It’s not unusual for you to be stopped by a religious preacher with an end goal of converting you while on the way to the library. The Mormons, for example, happen to hoard around the space in between the dining hall and the library; they attack in packs, so you might get lucky and be able to avoid one by faking a phone call or by listening to music, but others are always close by so escaping is rare. The protestors have no designated space; you might run into them outside of Harris Hall or even in front of Cary Street Gym. Some are considerate enough to have a table and know when a student is in a hurry, while others will keep you hostage no matter what.
The Celebrities.
One of the biggest things about VCU is the basketball teams, both men and women! As a Division I school, VCU Rams do not take their sports lightly. Every game from lacrosse to basketball has fans in the stands. Although all the athletes are treated well, the basketball players are treated like celebrities. Seeing one while on the way to class is like seeing the royal family or Channing Tatum. No matter who you are, you might not even like basketball, but you will stop and look when you see one. Our famous Peppas and Gold Rush dancers are basically celebrities too; it’s their talent and enthusiasm in the stands and on the court that we can’t help but love! We can all admit that we might not walk up to these celebs and ask for an autograph, but we sure do admire them from a far.
The Picassos.
VCU is home to a lot of talented art students because of its world renowned arts program. When these mini Picassos aren’t spending hours in the studio working on their projects and assignments, you can find them relaxing and walking around campus with giant plaza bags or unusual figurines. The art student you do get to know, you will barely see because of how rigorous their coursework gets, but you can always catch some near the Pollak building. The Pollak building is the School of Arts building on the Monroe Park campus that holds classrooms, labs, and offices for photography and film, fashion design and merchandising, interior design and graphic design.
The Greeks
The last, but certainly not the least, are the Greeks. These are the students who are actively a part of Greek life on campus; fraternities and sororities. Not surprisingly, some of the most active and involved students on campus are a part of Greek life. You can spot these people wearing their organization’s letters, or hosting philanthropy events on campus. A lot of students on campus might just know the Greeks for fraternity parties and socializing, but a good portion of the events put on for the VCU community are hosted and run by Greek life organizations.
No matter what category you fall under, and you might not even fall under any of these; you can still be yourself at VCU. The diversity among the students and community creates for a welcoming environment for any and every type of person. We all represent black and gold together!