The beauty of college is that even though we’re legal adults, we don’t act like it all the time. I think part of the reason for this is that we live with other intelligent, energetic young people and lack many of the responsibilities of the real world. In such a carefree environment, people feel secure being spontaneous and unabashedly silly and use any excuse to celebrate the sheer fact of being young and alive.
Tragically, the vivacious spirit of Whitman grows dormant during the harsh winter months. The gray sky, bare trees and mounting workloads sap students’ exuberance and energy and the campus grows quiet and bleak. People still get together and have a good time, but the revelry is usually less frequent and somewhat subdued.
Sometimes when the weather is crappy and students are hibernating in the library it seems like the winter will never end. However, after spring break a magical force inevitably takes hold of campus. As the sun begins to show its face new buds open, fleeces come off and in a matter of days it is spring at Whitman College.
“After spring break a magical force inevitably takes hold of campus. As the sun begins to show its face and new buds open, fleeces come off and in a matter of days it is spring at Whitman College.”
The effect of spring extends beyond blooming flowers and clear(er) skies. The warmth and sunshine that spur a renewal of life in the campus flora also rejuvenate the lackluster student body.
Academic obligations still remain, but suddenly they don’t seem as important and daunting. People are reminded that they are young and free and that life is good. They also remember, as the school year enters its final quarter, that their time is college is short. As these revelations hit home, the carefree spontaneity and energy of Whitman students returns with a vengeance. Shoes are discarded, Ankeny is flooded with Frisbees and sunbathers and parties are thrown on random weeknights. Classes sometimes take place outside on the grass, and a trip to the wheat fields at sunset becomes a good reason to forgo time in the library.
Spring also reawakens students to the attractiveness of their peers. As layers of denim and GORE-TEX are replaced by skirts and shorts, people are reminded that Whitman fosters a good environment for more than academics. Part of Whitman’s energy definitely comes from the hormones of 1500 young adults, and at no time during the school year is the atmosphere at keggers and dance parties more charged than in the spring.
The daunting part of writing this article was trying to articulate the sublime atmosphere, the extraordinary feeling that is unique to Whitman College in the spring. Spring here is so glorious because it is a potent conflation of natural and human energy, and such a combination denies simple description.
If I had to pick a single example that best captures the essence of Whitman Spring, I would have to go with the Earth Party I attended last Friday. On a dance floor of soft green sod spread across the basement of the TKE house, hundreds of Whitties gathered for a righteous dance party.
Independent and greek, sober and altered, people came together and got their groove on. Shoeless: and some shirtless: we danced together unrestrained, uninhibited and with such intensity that the basement walls began to sweat from the heat and energy of our celebration.
Great though it may be, there is nothing inherently special about the spring at Whitman. Our experience of the season isn’t enhanced by nearby ocean beaches or a vibrant urban center. It still gets cold and cloudy from time to time, and people still have papers, tests, and future jobs to worry about.
Whitman spring is a beautiful phenomenon simply because for a few short months of the year, all us creative, energetic Whitties are inspired to get together and let it all hang out.
