Today, September 22, 2018, is the autumnal equinox. Fall has traditionally been associated with things like Thanksgiving, the proliferation of all things “pumpkin spice,” and going back to school. However, in these modern times, school often starts not in a traditional autumn month like September, but in August. And sometimes you’re not going back to school, but arriving at a new place for the first time. I spent September 20 (two days ago) watching and participating in the delivery of a newly minted college freshman to her dorm.
Last winter we began exploring possible colleges for Miss Sophie. The criteria were that it be not too big (sorry, Cal State Northridge, population 40,000), be in a wooded area (sorry, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Fullerton), and feel right (sorry, every school but one that we visited that possessed the first two qualities). In the end, the winner – and it is a winner, too, for having landed this student – is Southern Oregon University (SOU), student body population, 6,098.
On Monday, two days from today, classes will officially begin. The day we arrived, two days ago, WOW began – SOU’s Week of Welcome, during which time the university makes a concerted effort to ensure that incoming freshmen get off to a good start and have the necessary support structures in place. Parents and/or parental figures ensure that they arrive – and arrive with serviceable linens, computers, and generally more than they’ll need of some things and none of some of the things they’ll need. Thank god for Amazon Prime.
| Copyright © 2018 by James Knudsen |
Wow, bye bye San Joaquin Valley. Be sure to keep in touch, and I will try to go see you in the future.
ReplyDeleteMorissa, you seem to be addressing Miss Sophie, right?
DeleteSure takes me back, to my early days at FSU in Tallahassee. I used to walk the campus among the throngs of young aspirants, imagining our brains actually glowing from all the new knowledge and information. All the best to Miss Sophie.
ReplyDelete