College can be an exhilarating and rewarding adventure that millions of teens experience every year. This year, however, hundreds of students experienced a few extra adventures at the University of Tampa. Not only were they adjusting to life away from the comforts of home and trying to make friends, they also had to prepare for a potential hurricane, the Republican National Convention (RNC) a few blocks away and the first week of classes. Although these first weeks have been pretty hectic, the new students remain optimistic.
“People are super friendly and usually willing to help out with any questions or problems that I may be having,” said freshman Zach Warfel. “I think the RNC would be a great way to get involved in the Tampa community for the people that want to. I choose to just stay away from it as much as I can because I still feel like I need to acclimate to school and the area. I haven’t really been affected by anything other than seeing extra security around school.”
Fellow freshman Justin Zwecker agreed but has also felt some drawbacks of the convention. “I think that the RNC is very cool and interesting,” Zwecker said. “The RNC has been affecting my sleep because I am living in McKay and every night there is a party across the river with extremely loud and annoying music that has been interrupting my sleep for the last two nights.”
Other new experiences the students have been facing are meal plans and on-campus food. New student Marc Anthony Rivera said, “The food is actually really good. Maybe a little bit bigger portions for meal exchange and the ability to carry meals from week to week.” Warfel agreed, stating, “I’m really impressed. Every dining option that I’ve had here has been great, and the variety is awesome. I usually get a salad from Fresh Creations for lunch, and then I usually have whatever sounds good for dinner! The meal exchanges are really good for making sure that I don’t always have to eat in the cafeteria, which is a great thing.” Zwecker concluded, “I think that more of the restaurants in Stadium should be on a meal plan instead of having to use Spartan dollars. I also think that the caf should be open later than 7 p.m.”
As for the “hurricane” everyone was preparing for Rivera said, “It had zero effect on us.” Warfel was a tad more optimistic, stating, “I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t get to experience any tropical storm weather. Being from Minnesota, I was kind of looking forward to something new like that! But in all honesty, I feel like UT was really good about keeping students informed about happenings with the storm, and I was able to let my parents (who were much more concerned than they needed to be) what plans UT had for us, and what the latest news was concerning Isaac.”
Although coming to a new school, and even a new state, can be worrisome, new students keep themselves busy and focused by making new friends, exploring the city and making great memories.
Layla Souchet can be reached at layla.souchet@spartans.ut.edu