Welcome Back

Ah, fall in Bloomington. Freshman wandering around trying to decipher the codes on the campus map, students lined up out the door to purchase their books, and the local Target buzzing with parents buying items to make their child's dorm room feel like home.\nAfter a summer of relaxing at the beach or acting professional at an internship, many people dread returning to student life. Morning classes, 2000-page textbooks, tests, 15-page term papers, multimedia reports, new notebooks, that grassy place under that big tree where you like to nap after a hard day, walking through the Arboretum at sunset, the possibility for perfect records in both football and basketball, meeting all new interesting people in your classes, your first order of Mad Mushroom cheese sticks, front yard barbeques, dogs running around in Dunn Meadow, having a clean slate in all your classes, getting away from home, eating at your favorite tiny restaurant that is only found in Bloomington, shopping on Kirkwood, watching the people play the bongos in Peoples Park, and a cyclone from Jiffy treat chilled to perfection with just the right amount of candy/fruit/cereal/cookies mixed in.\nAnd for all those freshmen nervous about their decision to come to IU, pay attention. Study the list above. It is the little things around town that make your college experience worth it. And know that we've all been in your shoes, coming to school for the first time. Use that map. Ask someone if you can't find a building or a classroom. And be careful with your newfound freedom - you don't want to get arrested the first week of school, nor do you want to have a J-Board summons notice sitting in your mailbox. But if you must, wear a good pair of walking shoes this week -- parties at the Varsity Villas are a long walk down the street.