A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the institution I have attended for going on three years now. The article mentioned how the school was going through changes and I simply expressed my concerns. If I offended anyone, that was not my attention. This week I am writing an update; after being on campus for a solid two weeks, I can already see a drastic difference.
In the previous article "Farewell to Midway College", I mentioned four main topics that were of my concern. The thing I'm mainly going to address is the influx of male students. So for people who are unaware of the situation, to catch you up when St. Catherine College in Kentucky closed Midway opened their arms. We took in their Men's Basketball, Soccer, Golf and Baseball teams along with members off of their female athletic teams. In other words, our number of athletes went from about maybe a hundred to roughly 230. Some people would say that is not a lot, but for a small NAIA school like Midway, it is. It has really caused many adjustments for the returning female students.
The "What to Wear" effect:
This seems to have changed to an extent. Some girls are still sporting the "hobo look", but I can see that there are a set number of girls that are starting to either dress up more than they did in the past, or they are wearing makeup on a daily basis. Granted we have only been through one full week of school so the may change over time.
Class Sizes:
Overall it seems that the class sizes are the same with exception to some general education courses. My largest class this semester has 31 students, in the past it has only been up to maybe 25 at the most. So it's only a slight difference. I have notice with class schedules and everything, that the school has implemented more lecture sessions to help keep the class sizes to a minimum.
I'm just going to say for me at least, it is weird to hear a males voice answer a question in class. Completely throws me off at times!
The "Guy on Campus" Shock
To answer your question, yes it is still rather weird to see guys on campus and walking through the dorm halls night and day. Having guys adds a great element of diversity to the school/student body as a whole. However, one thing that bothers me is the attention seeking element of the guys, for lack of better words. Some guys have started these "fan clubs", basically to see how many girls they can pull. Boys, I'm sorry but that is not how this works. And ladies do not stoop down to their level. I know that having guys on campus is a new thing for many of you, but don't.
Besides that issue, the guys are great! I have become good friends with some of the guys that are on here on campus.
Where's my seat and where's the food?
Okay time to talk about the most important thing, food! The first week has been rough for the cooking staff to be honest. They are trying to figure out how much food to fix for each meal. Before there was plenty of food for all of us female students, but now you have guys that eat everything! They are constantly running out of the initial dish being served and have to bring out something off-the-wall different.
Another thing I mentioned in the previous article is the seating arrangement. If you read the last article don't fret, the equine table is still intact and forever laughing loudly. Speaking of loudly, it is so loud at times you cannot hear yourself think! It is simply ridiculous at times, but frankly understandable. Most teams still sit together and some have even implemented their guys teams into their team tables. The only concern I have is when we have preview days or some event that requires more seating in the dining hall because currently that option is limited.
The lines are really long now compared to before, which is another thing that makes complete sense. Now it's best to go to lunch at 11:30 or 11:45, if you don"t want to wait in line that is. I know that slowly everything will get better and run more smoothly, like I said its truly only been a full week with every student on campus.
All in all the returning students have been spoiled over the past few years, so change and adjustment is hard at times. But think about all the students that came from St. Catherine, change is hard for them too. It all takes time.
I'm still interested to see how it all goes over the course of this semester and the next. Hopefully all goes well! Wishing every student at Midway a good year and good luck!
