Me and my friends

Me and my, me and my, me and my, me and my, me and my friends. This is a fitting way to begin a column written a week after seeing seven concerts, eating way too much and drinking several cases of beer with my friends at The Taste of Chicago. This is especially true given that the Red Hot Chili Peppers is pretty clearly our group’s favorite band. Setting out for the week of July Fourth, our destination allowed us to see great musical performances and have more fun than any seven people should legally have.\nBut I’m not here to brag about all the good times I had while many of you were stuck here attending or teaching class (or slaving away at a summer job). By introducing you to six of my closest friends, I hope to further define IU and Bloomington, the places that I hold in such high esteem.\nYou see, my friends and I are very different people. Examine for instance our choice of education. Two journalism students, a future nurse, a clarinet player and a comparative literature major. Hometowns: Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Indianapolis, Lafayette and one from right here in Bloomington. How do such a group of misfits unknown to each other prior to August 2004 end up spending a week together without scratching each other’s eyes out or turning to cannibalism? The simple way so many other groups of friends at IU do it. The one thing that we have in common, that holds us together now – and will keep us bound in the future – is that we all bleed Crimson and Cream.\nIU has been a beacon for its graduating classes for a hundred years, bringing those who call it “alma mater” back and ensuring that close friends remain in touch. For the time being, it’s not clear which events will keep the phone calls between us regular. It could be a close IU basketball game or a great career opportunity. Maybe the hardships of another friend or old bonds too tightly knotted to untie. Who knows? But it is clear that something caused 29,402 alumni to vote in the recent board of trustees election (choosing to reinstate incumbent Sue Talbot) – they care very much about the quality of IU. Something causes the major donations that people give to the Jacobs School of Music, the IU School of Journalism, the Kelley School of Business (including their own island) and numerous other programs at IU.\nIt is my dearest hope that my friends and I remain close long after graduation. And with IU in our corner, evidence shows that we will. Whether or not we will have the resources to donate as others have will be a story only told by time. But one thing is for certain – we will never forget our time together at IU. The good trips, the rough times and the long nights will live in our memories as surely each of you will have similar ones. And we will always, despite city or career, remain Hoosiers.