Alphabet Soup
As the third week of spring quarter comes to an end, I couldn’t help but notice the number of activities in full swing. From sports to theatrics, pub shifts to the Public Affairs Conference, it is safe to say that we as a campus thrive on being “busy beavers.”
I wanted to take this opportunity simply to say I am in awe of this pro-active campus. As busy as schoolwork keeps us, somehow there is always room to squeeze in a committee or two. My final quarter as a senior has got me taking trips down memory lane. While venturing down that road, I have realized that on top of schoolwork, my quarterly schedule has always consisted of extracurricular activities.
It was sometime last year that I noticed my life here at Principia College revolved around the letter P. Let me enlighten you: President of Sylvester, Piasa Pub worker, Pilot staff member, and last but not least, I served on the board for the Public Affairs Conference, as Co-Director of Publications. These landmarks of my college career have led me to appreciate the activities that Principia has to offer.
Just last week Principia hosted the 59th annual Public Affairs Conference. An entirely student-run conference with over 150 delegates proved that students are deeply engaged in campus activities. I had a conversation with Dr. Randall Hansen, a PAC speaker and a Professor of Political Science at Toronto University, who commented on the professionalism of this student-run conference. Dr. Hansen also admitted it was the best student conference he’d been a part of, and didn’t realize the student involvment until arriving at the college. Compliments like these ring true for many other student-run organizations on campus.
Due to the small community atmosphere on campus, the plethora of activities also brings in majors of all sorts. As a graphic design major, for example, I decided to branch out of my department and participate in something completely different. The campus extracurricular activities cater to majors of all sorts. When I assumed the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Pilot newspaper, it proved that not only Mass Communication majors are behind campus news. This idea goes for participating in PAC as well. Working on the publications committee with two other graphic design majors was an opportunity for me to expand my major into new territories.
I am sure that college classes will always have a special place in our hearts, but it’s the outside-of-class activities in which we prove we are more than just our major. I deeply value these activities, and encourage all students to branch out and try something they have never thought of. Maybe someone else will find his or her “5 ps” as I have, or maybe even sift through the activities alphabet.
