This semester has been a roller coaster, to massively understate things. Not only did we experience multiple deaths on campus, but we also had several snow days, BAC ran out of funding and in general, everything has somehow dragged on this spring.
As a provider of campus news, Scribe wanted to get to the bottom of what has been going on this semester to make it so difficult. We each talked about our own experiences in the hope that the patchwork of our struggles answers the question:
“What the hell is going on?”
Paul Czarnecki | Editor-in-Chief
I’m coming out of this semester more confused than ever. I had a sliver of estranged hope that maybe I could get my footing in literally ANYTHING, even if it’s forced to hit me like a fourteen-wheeler, but it never came.
Don’t get me wrong, I have SO MUCH love for everything in my life. New experiences, breathtaking travel, amazing friends and a deer-themed basketball team lit up my heart this semester, which is why I can’t stand how spiral-y it’s been.
This semester suddenly hit that irreplicable “drag”! There’s nothing to really do about it, but it completely stuffs each day to a minimized routine, and not a good one. Most days this semester, I would wake up feeling some sort of intense emotion and think, “Alright. I guess this is my mood for the day” as I slog through school, work, relationships and fun hobbies that I just can’t seem to complete.
To be honest, I’m conflicted about this semester. Each semester is valuable in its own way, and I miss each passing half-year as it’s completed. But – and I speak for all thirteen parts of my barely functioning brain – thank GOD it’s over.
Raven Sanchez | Managing Editor
While some great things came out of this semester, it was undeniably the weirdest I’ve had. Two main things contributed the most to the strangeness. The first of these was the student deaths that greatly impacted our campus. I’m not close to anyone who knew the students, but seeing my friends and professors in the music program go through so much, and processing the uncertainty and shock of it all myself, was tough. It seemed to leave a permanent darkness over the remaining weeks for everyone.
Also, what was with the aggressive sickness? I was sick for almost two months straight with three illnesses back-to-back, and watching my classmates leave and return to campus so frequently due to illness felt so strange.
All of this, on top of some weird private matters and experiencing the absolute emotional rollercoaster that I’m told is a normal part of the last semester of college. Ugh.
Ellie Myers | Associate Editor
I started it off in “Cats,” which was wild on its own. While it was one of the best experiences of my life and one of the best shows I’ve ever performed in, our take on it was entirely new and I did a lot of character exploration I’ve never done before. Even now, a month or so later, I feel a little bit like I dreamed the whole thing.
I’ve also been dealing with laryngitis off and on for the entire semester, which makes it difficult to do anything as a VAPA major. I have to give a sincere “thank you” to everyone around me, including the Scribe team, for putting up with my bouts of silence.
On a darker note, I experienced the fear from the shooting and said goodbye to my dog on the same day in February. I came back to a grieving, shaken music department and a terrified campus, carrying the weight of my own grief and ongoing mental health struggles. Many weeks this semester were a fight to the end.
So, to answer “what is going on” for myself, the answer is entirely too much. I gave many “yes’s” to situations where I probably should have rested, and I’m learning how to take better care of myself as a result. A difficult lesson, but I’m glad I’m learning, and for all the pain and weirdness of this semester, some beautiful things came out of it too. It’s a “Memory” I’ll keep with me for sure.
Olivia Nordyke | Features Editor
Time feels warped in spring semesters. Work comes at you fast, but the days pass slow. Midterms always sneak up and the sun setting later makes it hard to keep your brain centered on work rather than enjoying spring activities
The year began with me ending a long relationship, a snow day in the first day of the semester, leaving a job I loved to start an internship in an intense industry and taking over as a section editor. Not to mention my last semester of college and needing to complete my capstone project and trying to find a job after graduation. If you’ve interacted with me at any point this semester, I promise I’m not usually this frazzled.
These new things have been scary and tough! There were wonderful opportunities, but I’ve spent most of the semester telling myself I would find my rhythm. It’s May and the rhythm has yet to be found.
It’s easy to say in hindsight that I’m glad for the surprises this semester brought. It’s also been the craziest spring of my lifetime, since almost every day left me asking “What the hell is going on?”
Lexi Petri | Design Editor
This was my last semester at UCCS, and it was definitely one to remember because everything felt out of place. I had an easy schedule with only class on Monday, so it felt like I wasn’t even a student anymore. There weren’t a lot of school events that interested me and there were a few events that even closed the campus, and that was a shock to everyone.
I had to start preparing to graduate and it still doesn’t feel like I should be graduating. This semester had a lot of different directions going and I finally decided to take the path that would allow me to better myself and focus on me. I had no idea what the hell was happening, but I was checked out for a bit and then realized I need to regain focus and finish strong.
It’s been a confusing time for sure, but I think I am finally going down the right path and kicking over obstacles that stand in my way. I am ready to finish this journey because it’s been crazy, and I need to know what the hell is going on.
Kate Marlett | Copy Editor
This semester was definitely a roller coaster. It started out very bleak in the wake of those who passed away on campus. It was weird to see things come back to “normal” so quickly after those tragedies, and though there were some efforts by the university to have healing, I felt like they didn’t take the proper time to acknowledge what happened or give students enough space. I was a part of riverrun this semester, and we dedicated a page to those individuals in our issue. I thought of that as a way to acknowledge them more permanently.
That said, most of this semester was like usual for me; I got through my work and tried to relax when possible. I reminded myself that I won’t be here at UCCS forever, so I should do my best to enjoy it. And then, when I least expected it, the man of my dreams walked into my life and he’s my boyfriend now. So, all together, this semester was full of twists and turns, both good and bad. It’s one I won’t soon forget.
Kaylie Foster | Reporter
I feel like I got thrown out of a plane and had to figure out how to operate a parachute this semester. I usually experience a serious bout of burnout between spring break and finals, but this semester, it hit me like a bus in mid-February.
I made my performing debut with UCCS Dance in ONCE, which opened in February. I learned three of the five numbers I performed in less than two weeks (do not recommend).
On top of that, I started at The Scribe at the same time. My reporting dreams came true as my free time disappeared. I never expected to learn the difference between “murder” and “homicide” while I was in college, especially not in my first month on the job.
This semester gave me no breaks between my two jobs and two majors. Just don’t be like me.
Zee O’Donnell | Reporter
It’s no secret that this semester has been a literal hellscape.
Everyone has experienced so many hardships, but I believe everyone has become so much closer as well. We have all relied on each other to get through this semester, and I have found a true community in every class, every club, and every event I have attended.
It’s been one of the hardest semesters of my life, one that has been filled with grief, loss, stress, and anger. However, it has also been filled with the most joy, laughter, love and friendship I have ever known.
Joseph Impelliteri | Reporter
My friends from other schools ask me what happened this semester, and I feel I always say the same thing: nothing much really.
First semester, I was happy. Grandma made apple pie every day, I swear.
Second semester, I started working for The Scribe.
While I am extremely thankful for the semester I’ve had, it feels like there was a dark undertone. There were obvious sources of hardship, but even beyond that…
Did you feel it? That was it right there. I don’t even know what it is. But it’s there. It’s there right as my friends leave. It’s there after I get off the phone with my mom. It’s there when I’m trying to go to bed but can’t. I have followed a map to nowhere, and it appears I’ve gone in a few circles.
It’s dark, but the sun always comes back up, and I think that’s pretty special. There is always apple pie somewhere. Sometimes I look around and I realize that the apple pie is on my windowsill, and I’m thankful for what I’ve got.
What have I got? Nothing much really.
Photo via Scribe Archives.