Chloe Reid

Staff Writer

Going into the sixth week of the Fall 2020 semester, it can be said that most students are now used to their daily schedules and finding a way to cope with the uncertainty of COVID-19.

However, many freshman students are still experiencing disappointment towards missing out on the iconic traditions that Idaho State University has offered to the decades of freshman classes before us. With all the confusion of COVID-19 lasting months before the start of the new semester, many students remained hopeful towards their first day of college being a somewhat average one and hoped to be able to participate in events as well as hoping to have a somewhat normal experience on campus.

At Idaho State, one of the most looked forward to traditions is March Through the Arch, a classic freshman symbol to starting college life and entry into the real world. New Student Orientation week is also a huge part of the freshman experience, typically filled with bonding events to get the freshman year started off and to help freshmen feel a little less intimidated.

“I almost wish I would’ve waited a year until Coronavirus was more figured out so I would’ve had the chance to experience those events, but I like it here so far. I like the school, I like the dorms and I like the people so it’s not too stressful,” said Skyler Cole, an Idaho State freshman.

Being a freshman myself, the first week definitely felt somewhat daunting when learning how to meet new people with no opportunities or freshman traditions such as March Through the Arch. Such traditions really help coming in as a new face less stressful when you see such a large group of people in the same boat as you are, as well as being able to meet new people and create friendships from an earlier time. With socially distanced classes and residence halls, meeting new people in the 2020 school year can be a challenge.

“I just feel like we’re not getting the full freshman experience,” said Isabella Holt who is a freshman.

Missing out on such experiences came as a shock to several freshmen, due to March Through the Arch getting canceled, as well as orientation being transferred to an online format less than two weeks before move-in day. Many students were beyond excited for the year to start after seeing videos and photos online of how cool the first week for freshman seemed in past years.

“When I toured the campus last year and heard about all of the orientation events it got me so excited to start the year,” said Idaho State freshman Skyler Drake. “Hearing things from sophomores I know or seeing photos of prior years’ events makes me sad, I feel like we lost out on several opportunities.

School-wide events weren’t the only things canceled or changed by the pandemic. Several clubs and organizations also didn’t get to participate in first week events, like the local sororities and fraternities on campus. “Coming in as a freshman in a sorority, we didn’t get to have the rush week I was looking forward to as well as several of our events getting canceled due to the small-group requirement.” said freshman Destiny Harden. “I definitely feel that the school is doing its best to accommodate in the given situations, but it’s also sad that we missed out on the things we were looking forward to for months, like fall sports getting canceled. I was so excited for football season.”

However, not every freshman has a negative view of missing out on such events. “I don’t feel that sad about it, to be honest,” said freshman student Elyssa Seamons. “As a freshman, it’s kinda easy to not feel too bad because I don’t really know what I was missing out on.”

With the fall semester being well underway, the freshman class continues to learn about how to cope with an unpredictable first year of their college life.

Despite all, freshmen have pushed through all odds and continued to pursue their freshman year with the best possible efforts. Although it may seem harder to make friends as a freshman this school year, there will always be the unspoken bond that Bengals have throughout all the trials and triumphs.