2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the Editor
"Two Degrees and a Ton of Memories"
Jon Wickert
Issue date: 5/17/06 Section: Opinion
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Dear Frostburg,
Someone told me that before I came here, these would be the best years of my life. True, you gave me two degrees and a ton of memories but the more I think about leaving here, again, I have to sit and think about what we've meant to each other. We both knew this day would come eventually, again, but it's for real this time, I'm leaving and you're going to keep changing and somewhere since the beginning of this process, we both morphed into very different beings, leading us to this uneasy farewell. You will remain here and I am off to wander the world, and while I'm gone, I won't forget what you've meant to me and how much you've changed since I first got here. I'll never forget how you kicked me when I was down and how you managed to turn into the overbearing, ultra-conservative parent that is totally out of touch with its kids. On the other hand, you did some good things while you changed as well…
I remember when I used to sit in the lounge in the Lane Center, by the fireplace that is now occupied by a big screen TV that apparently is only able to play CNN, The Simpsons and, mainly, BET, while I'd eat the wrap I'd get at the Greenhouse before it became the Appalachian Station. Speaking of BET, I've seen you open your arms and recruit a large number of African Americans and I think this is the best thing I've witnessed you do because were it not for them, many of the programs on this campus would not take place, the atmosphere would have a lack of energy (like it used to), and I would not have met some very interesting people who helped me gain a real appreciation for culture, open-mindedness, and giving people an opportunity to prove themselves. Of course, at the same time, you turned yourself into a transfer school. The entire state of Maryland came to realize that they could come here, where it is incredibly easy to gain entrance, and slack while building a nice GPA and start the process to head off to UMBC or College Park, where they really wanted to go in the first place. Let's be honest, this is not the most academically challenging University in the world. If it had been challenging, my friends and I couldn't have gotten drunk as often as we did and stopped at Lorenzo's Bakery at 2am, totally obliterated, for fresh donuts, and then gone to class the next morning still drunk and managed to pull of GPAs over 3.5. Of course, the great part about school being a joke is it gave me plenty of time to explore the woods behind Gabe's, Lover's Leap, St. John's Rock, and to wheel on what is now the Alleghany Highlands Trail, down behind the Depot. I still miss Gandalf's and I foresee Draft Zone being the next chill place to hang out, the antithesis of Pub, although it would be nice if the cups at the "Zone" were a little larger.
Someone told me that before I came here, these would be the best years of my life. True, you gave me two degrees and a ton of memories but the more I think about leaving here, again, I have to sit and think about what we've meant to each other. We both knew this day would come eventually, again, but it's for real this time, I'm leaving and you're going to keep changing and somewhere since the beginning of this process, we both morphed into very different beings, leading us to this uneasy farewell. You will remain here and I am off to wander the world, and while I'm gone, I won't forget what you've meant to me and how much you've changed since I first got here. I'll never forget how you kicked me when I was down and how you managed to turn into the overbearing, ultra-conservative parent that is totally out of touch with its kids. On the other hand, you did some good things while you changed as well…
I remember when I used to sit in the lounge in the Lane Center, by the fireplace that is now occupied by a big screen TV that apparently is only able to play CNN, The Simpsons and, mainly, BET, while I'd eat the wrap I'd get at the Greenhouse before it became the Appalachian Station. Speaking of BET, I've seen you open your arms and recruit a large number of African Americans and I think this is the best thing I've witnessed you do because were it not for them, many of the programs on this campus would not take place, the atmosphere would have a lack of energy (like it used to), and I would not have met some very interesting people who helped me gain a real appreciation for culture, open-mindedness, and giving people an opportunity to prove themselves. Of course, at the same time, you turned yourself into a transfer school. The entire state of Maryland came to realize that they could come here, where it is incredibly easy to gain entrance, and slack while building a nice GPA and start the process to head off to UMBC or College Park, where they really wanted to go in the first place. Let's be honest, this is not the most academically challenging University in the world. If it had been challenging, my friends and I couldn't have gotten drunk as often as we did and stopped at Lorenzo's Bakery at 2am, totally obliterated, for fresh donuts, and then gone to class the next morning still drunk and managed to pull of GPAs over 3.5. Of course, the great part about school being a joke is it gave me plenty of time to explore the woods behind Gabe's, Lover's Leap, St. John's Rock, and to wheel on what is now the Alleghany Highlands Trail, down behind the Depot. I still miss Gandalf's and I foresee Draft Zone being the next chill place to hang out, the antithesis of Pub, although it would be nice if the cups at the "Zone" were a little larger.
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