After coming back to school last semester, the months of living through lockdowns and quarantining at home seems like a fever dream. While the pandemic only started two years ago, in my mind, it seems like a lifetime ago. But the seemingly far away and long ago events of the pandemic swallowed two and a half semesters from the student experience at Stevens. With so much time lost to quarantine, this past academic year has been a homecoming for students to finally experience a (mostly) genuine college experience and make up for the time we missed out on.
The entire fall semester was a semester of firsts: the first day back to in-person classes, the first publication of The Stute since March 2020, the first sporting event since being back on campus, the first student performance in the DeBaun Performing Arts Center since the pandemic, and the list goes on. This semester has also facilitated many firsts of student showcases and events on campus.
This past week was a week filled with firsts for the Ethnic Student Council (ESC), which was able to present its Unity Showcase for the first time in three years. The event was jam-packed with performances from different affinity groups, such as Greek organizations from the Cultural Greek Council and other performing groups on campus. And while the performances were electrifying and entertaining, they also had powerful messages behind them, commenting on the experience of certain affinity groups and also their journey through the pandemic. Whatever the message, each performance group brought an important message to the table that commented on their experiences, some of which I truly resonated with. The theme of the event, “Our Resilience,” was both a strong and fitting message to set the tone of the event.
It was also a week of firsts for Greek Life, as many fraternities partnered with Delta Phi Epsilon sorority for Castle Point King. As many would expect, the performances were hilarious and showcased some of the fraternity brothers’ talents in acting and dancing. Aside from the laughs, Delta Phi Epsilon was able to raise over $21,000 for their philanthropy after weeks of practicing and planning for the event. Castle Point King brought students of Greek Life together in an enjoyable evening for a great cause.
Attending these events this past week showed how much was truly lost from the pandemic. During the initial months of the pandemic, I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to attend events. But, after experiencing these events in person for the first time, I realized just how much I was missing. These events aren’t just entertainment for the student body, but they show a sliver of student experiences in life and at Stevens. The combination of performances from different student groups combines these slivers into a closer embodiment of the “Stevens experience.” And however funny the skits/performances/dances might be, the hard work that the students put into the performance is undeniably evident.
Better yet, many firsts for this semester are still to come. Later this month is TechFest, an event that I am personally very excited about. Upperclassmen have raved about TechFest since my freshman year, and since most of the student body will be experiencing it for the first time, TechFest will be another huge “first” for this campus.
It’s easy to dismiss the pandemic as a time of our lives that we want to forget and move on from. But let’s not forget all that was taken away from us by the pandemic, especially the experiences we would’ve been able to have on campus. So, as we approach the end of this academic year, I hope students will attend the events they missed out on due to the pandemic; they will certainly be worth it!
The Stute Editorial is an Opinion column written by the current Editor in Chief of The Stute to address and explain editorial decision making, discuss news and media issues, and develop a sense of trust and transparency between readers and members of The Stute.
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