A recent comprehensive study of Colby students found the public is frustrated with some of the Mules’ athletic success, citing a diminished social scene as the cause.
“It was much better when we were all content with being bad,” one student commented during the survey. “At least we had two nights of parties per weekend”.
With multiple Colby teams earning national rankings, and coaches stepping up recruiting efforts, the future is bright on the field, but what about off of it? One lonely-looking freshman found wandering the Senior Apartments lobby on a Friday night noted, “I can’t believe that I left the Hillside pregame for this. I haven’t even seen a football player and there’s like 140 of them”. The student was then promptly escorted out of the building by a Colby Security officer.
As win percentages reach ten-year highs and social morale reaches a ten-year low, the Colby student body is faced with the monumental task of rebuilding our once-great party scene. To some, this means a change in the way that we approach recruiting. “I firmly believe that some kind of social competency should be demonstrated when we are recruiting athletes, in addition to academic and athletic requirements,” one student wearing a backwards trucker hat and Nelk Boys hoodie suggested.
Another student reminisced on years past, saying, “We lost Thursday’s last year, Friday’s this year, and now all I have to look forward to at the end of a long academic week is a Saturday White Lies party hosted by the Pottery Club”.
But, others argue, the improved sports results have brought increased attention and funding to the College. For instance, Colby’s new Downtown Arts Center was just named the #14 Must-See Half-Day Late Weekend Attraction by South Central Kennebec County Magazine. With so much to do and see around campus, it’s no wonder that our sports teams are seeing increased support on the field.
The demand for social life is clearly present in the Colby community, as hundreds of students lined up in the Spa to collect their Doghead wristbands. However, nobody is willing to pick up the slack from the sports teams to provide the supply. Some students await the return of “The Mingle”, the mass assembly of students in the back of the Senior Apartments on a weekend night.
“It’s great”, one student said, “I get to go out without interacting with a single athlete”. As April blizzards blast campus, however, it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The sunny fall darties of last semester seem a far cry from the Fridays spent in Miller this spring.
One unnamed member of a large sports team complained that “It’s frustrating to have the entire class of 2027 at your door on a Saturday looking for a party. I can’t make sure that everyone has a good time.” Maybe this athlete is correct. While our Mule athletes deliver exceptional results on the field and acceptable results in intermediate economics courses, perhaps us regular students should step up our own game on the weekends.
~ Go Mules
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