When I came to UT as a freshman, I thought it was the most beautiful place in the world. Everything was so spectacular. All of the sudden, one thing after another started changing, and it became even better. There have been so many things that have changed over the years, and here just a few:
The ID Cards- When the class of 2019 arrived, UT changed their student ID cards to sleek red and black student ID cards, which makes sense because those are our school colors. The real OGs (who never lost their ID in the four years they were here) have those weird yellow and white cards. I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to design these old cards, but at least they’re almost completely phased out with this year’s graduating class.
Starbucks- Believe it or not, there was a time on campus when the only coffee you could get was from Einstein’s, or I guess Jazzman’s if you were into that. Also, the only place to study outside of your dorm was the library. There was no Starbucks, and even though I wish it were a Dunkin, I still appreciated it being here. Egg and Cheddar, please!
The Gym- You guys know that little run down building next to the gym and the sand volleyball courts? Yeah, that used to be our gym. You were able to enjoy 8 treadmills and ellipticals, a single room for workout classes, and a handful of free weights. There was never a time of the day that you could get in there and not have to fight for a machine, because truthfully only about 10 people could workout at the same time comfortably. If you dread going to the gym now, imagine what it was like then.
Pizza Bagels– This is probably the most dangerous change of them all. While we had pizza bagels available at Einstein’s, they were not originally on the meal plan. You used to have to use Spartan dollars and now being able to just get them as a meal has ruined my life. Hello 10 pounds in one semester!
McKay Hall- I lived in McKay my freshman year, and the second I moved out, they started remodeling it. We didn’t have the gorgeous patio, and the couch in our common area downstairs was just about as gross as our dumpster. There were constant lizards in my room, but McKay still holds a special place in my heart.
Palm Apartments– On the dorm note; Palm was non-existent my Freshman year. Rescom was still alive and well, and the “nicest dorms on campus” were just starting to be built. Don’t worry though; at least I’m a senior living in Straz Island while all you sophomores get to live in Palm.
SparBQ– Oh man, oh man. None of you little babies even know what SparBQ is. Or should I say S***BQ. Before this year when Jazzman’s became the Vietnamese place, and the Asian place became Mindful, and even before the Asian place was ever an idea there was a bbq place cozily located in Morsani. The food wasn’t fantastic other than the mac and cheese and quite frankly, you stayed away from it if you could. Kind of glad this change occurred.
The “Barrymore”- If you call the off-campus hotel living “The Barrymore,” then you are definitely a youngin. When I was a freshman, the hotel was still the Howard Johnson, which is why seniors still like to call it the “HoJo.” The same rule applies for “Stadium” now being called “Morsani,” or “West Kennedy” now being called “Jenkins Hall.” What a joke.
I’m sure there have been a lot more things that have changed on this campus since my freshman year, and there will be a lot of things that change again in the next four years. Maybe we could get some solid housing options before building a third sand volleyball court or another coffee shop though….