You know what sucks? We are a suitcase college

    Of all the colleges and universities that I have visited in the past, I have never seen a campus where students are more eager to get the heck out of here on the weekend.  This school is the epitome of a suitcase college. I have never seen anything like it. It seems that well over half of the students that live on campus just bolt once Friday afternoon classes are over. Last Saturday I actually saw a tumbleweed in the parking lot of Copeland Hall.

    I have to admit, there is something refreshing about the weekend when there are so few people here. If you read my last column, then you know that I am over competing with everyone on campus for sidewalk space. I suppose that in that regard, having less people on campus is a good thing.

    However, I have to say that I just do not understand the logic of these individuals that are so anxious to get home. I mean, they literally have their bags already packed in their cars before going to their classes on Friday. As soon as class is dismissed, they make a beeline for their car and then they do not return until the wee hours of Sunday night.

    Some of them won’t even do that. Some students actually drive back Monday morning and arrive to campus just in time for their class. I find it hard to believe that it is so unbearable for you to be on campus over the weekend that you have to drive 4 hours home and then 4 hours back. Last I check, the best parts of school were the times that you did not have to go to class.

    I don’t understand the logic in driving all the way back home just to drive back to campus 48 hours later. Not to mention, what are you going to do when you get home? Are you going to go home and work on thesis and your lab report? Let me get this straight. You insist on driving 4 hours home, spending about 8 hours working on some projects, and then driving 4 hours back? Sounds very productive…

    I am just interested to know what the motivation is to go home. What is everyone going home to do? Is it your high school sweetheart whom you are still dating that you are going home to see? If this sounds like you, allow me give you some advice that will save you a lot of trouble.

    Rather than suffering through that relationship until J-term of your senior year and then breaking up with them when you have come to the realization that you have never experienced what it actually feels like to be a single independent college student, go ahead and break up with them now so you can actually experience a weekend on campus for a change. You may actually make some friends in the process and actually want to stay on campus.

    Even when there is an excess of events and activities on campus over the weekend, students still go home. I was amazed to see how many students left campus over homecoming weekend. Some of you may be taking “Homecoming” too literally. Just in case you did not know, Homecoming does not actually mean you go home…

    Maybe you go home to do laundry. Perhaps in your 18 or more years of existence, you have managed to have never learned how to do this simple task so you have to have your parents do it for you. Not knowing how to do laundry is actually more common than you think. If you do not believe me, just ask anyone who lived in Lloyd Hall last year. Three fire alarms were caused by laundry negligence.

    So this is my suggestion. Make an effort to stay on campus over the weekend every now and then. If you intend on living with your parents forever, then I suppose going home every weekend for you makes sense. However, if you intend on being a somewhat independent individual someday, then I suggest you let your parents have a weekend to themselves.

    After all, they were probably relieved when they shipped you off to school. Continuing to come back every weekend really defeats the purpose of your parents spending thousands of dollars to get rid of you.