Seniors: a bucket list before you leave LC forever

Two students’ take on what needs to be done before you cross the stage for that expensive piece of paper

By PIOLOG STAFF

By the time most seniors enter their final semester at Lewis & Clark, they’re doing their absolute best to spend as little time as possible on campus. Long gone are the endless Bon sessions or the communal bathrooms of Copeland. In some ways, senior year is awkward. Freshman year is but a distant memory, yet you may not be feeling nostalgic either.

Despite how removed one might feel from the hustle and bustle of underclassmen life, one might still be forced to avoid eye contact as a freshman year hook-up walks past you in Howard. You’re itching to leave, yet cannot avoid moments of panic as the ‘rest of your life’ looms ever closer. It’s your last year at LC; here’s a Bucket List we’ve made to help you make the very best of it:

BON(e)

Spend an evening at the Bon. Put on that now-vintage LC t-shirt you’ve got (and as a sub-bucket list goal — if you do not have one, buy one), scrounge up your old swipe card and lanyard (make sure to put it around your neck) and head to the bon. Spend a good hour or two reminiscing with friends and staring at first years you’ve never seen before. You might even appreciate the experience now that you’re not forced to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No one will ever forget those infamous Bon bowel movements.

BONE

If you didn’t get around to this freshman or sophomore year, maybe give it a shot now. Except you have to get more creative than a twin bed in Stewart.

DRINK

Drink a beer with a professor. You probably spent years daydreaming about what life would be like when you came of age — now that you’ve made it, take advantage. It might seem awkward at first, but it will be sure to give you bragging rights with your state school friends. Bonus points if you get drinks at Tryon.

SMOKE

Smoke with a professor (or better yet – Camp-o?). It is legal after all.

WALK (down memory lane)

Walk the residential side of campus on a rainy evening. Meandering through Copeland or Hartzfeld, you are apt to find random stairways or bathrooms evoking memories of late night mischief and angst from your days living on campus.

NINJA

Midnight Ninja games still happen. And rumor has it someone’s nose was broken, so the games can get intense.

MEMORIALIZE IT

Video tape a single day of your life as a Lewis & Clark senior. You might question why you would ever want such a video, but you won’t regret it 20 years down the line. I personally guarantee you that anyone 40+ would kill for a video of their ‘glory days’. Still don’t believe me? What would you give to have a video documenting a day in your life as an 8th grader?

SNAP

If you have made it through all three and a half years without snapping a picture of Mt. Hood on a clear day, you are not doing it right. Again — see “bragging rights for state school friends.”

In a class taught by one of my favorite psychology teachers, we learned that the beginning and ending of events are most strongly remembered. Perhaps this list doesn’t resonate with you or your experience at LC but that’s okay — make your own. It is completely reasonable to be anxious to begin new journeys, but know that a day will come when you will miss something about this place. Do yourself a favor and make some new mems because #texasforever (Where are my “Friday Night Light” fans at? For those who slept on that show, consider it that the last addition to the bucket list. And while you’re at it, get Netflix so you have something to do with your time post-thesis).