Lucinda Albers
The Issue:
SDSU has kept the same atmosphere as when it first started
While getting ready for this special issue of the Collegian, I was doing some research on past SDSU events and memories. I picked up several old yearbooks at the library to help me grasp the past.
Now, I have to admit that I absolutely LOVE old pictures. I love to look at the outdated outfits and stern looks from old administrative personnel. And I always laugh at the headshots of students staring at something behind the cameraman.
But what really strikes me most is the composition of these pictures. You can tell by the look on these students’ faces how they feel, and get a little taste of it yourself. It’s like you were once there, in that time, with them.
And I have to say, seeing all of these pictures from past Hobo Days, basketball games or just random students in their dorm lounges, makes me wonder how much SDSU has really changed.
You can clearly see that students used to take tradition seriously, dressing up like Hobos and the hairy Six-month Club members who haven’t shaved in weeks.
Nowadays, Hobo Days is all about being drunk 24-7 to show your pride. Where did the tradition go? When did pride in SDSU turn into pride in downtown bars?
Maybe once I’m 21 and get to fully experience a homecoming of drunkenness, I’ll change my mind. But all these old pictures make me think of what a good time it used to be. And how much it has possibly changed.
Ask any alumni about their experiences, and they’ll most likely be able to list things that they did each year, that upperclassmen did before them, and new freshman did after them. Ask a current student about Hobo Days, and, if they remember, it will be a story about a huge party or crazy bar night.
I will admit the fact that SDSU has grown in more than one way, and has a very diverse student body these days. But overall, I think SDSU has generally kept the same atmosphere it has always boasted.
Something that attracted me to the school as a high-school senior was the general aura of State. The students have stayed just as friendly as when it was a small state college, and the old pictures of random students hanging out on campus remind me of my experiences here at State.
Although many activities and traditions have changed, State will continue to grow and attract students each and every year. Just as you are told as a freshman: “Once a student, always an alum.”
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