Ryan Johnston
As the Wooster students like to say, “We’re Back.” Parties are back and thriving on campus along with a community that has been missing from Wooster for one-and-a-half years. The freshmen get to go out and experience college for the first time, the sophomores get to actually meet their class, and the juniors and seniors get to meet the other three-fourths of campus. Classes ‘22 and ‘23, now being the old dogs, barely got to experience something that we are now in charge of putting on. COVID may have derailed the Fighting Scots for a bit, but we are back and better than ever before.
On March 15th, 2020, Wooster students had just started spring break. When we left, we had nothing on our minds but to explore various beaches and attend social gatherings around the world. As the week went on, calls went out, flights were cancelled, and COVID had started hitting America hard. We were told we were going home for a two-week break, only for it to become six months. After months of zoom calls and learning to bake bread , we were finally able to come back to Wooster. Sadly, Wooster was not the same. What was once a place of sports matches, large parties, and trips to Mom’s had become a barren land of half-faced people and broken friendships. Students were left sad and alone in their dorms while professors became nothing but little squares on a screen. The community and culture of Wooster had vanished.
This year, however, things are looking up. With sports in full effect, classes completely in person, and parties going full blast, I’m reminded of why I love Wooster. Nothing beats going outside and seeing every single one of your friends. Parties are a place to let loose, meet new people, and have fun. From bad music to people climbing on roofs, the only difference in the parties from before is that ours are bigger. The community that a party creates is unmatched. The ability to be walking to class on a Thursday and recognize students you met on Woo Wednesday is a core component of Wooster that was missing during the previous three semesters. The fact that it’s back is a reflection that campus is healing. The Wooster community is starting to thrive again because of the parties that their students are throwing and attending, and I could not be any happier. As swarms of hundreds of students flock to the lawns of houses to party once more, one thing can be said:
Welcome back, Woo.