TYPICALLY, THE Features section for The Mossy Log focuses on stories of exceptional groups and individuals at Lewis & Clark. However, I believe the everyday life of students at LC deserve a spotlight as well. I went around campus to interview students and hear about their experiences as a part of our community. I interviewed three students: Snowden Baughn ’29, a political science major, Leo Roth ’29, a piano performance major and Daisie Crist ’29, a history and German double major.
I started with the big question, “What is your favorite part of living on campus?”
Baughn told me that their favorite part is getting to see and spend time with their friends. Crist also said that social life is her favorite part of living on campus, noting that she enjoys getting to know new people and making friends. Roth, on the other hand, talked about how much he likes seeing the space change.
“The campus looks beautiful in every single season.”
When it came to my interviewees’ favorite places on campus, they had a variety of answers. Baughn said their favorite place on campus is their dorm. They said they love their roommates and hanging out with a lot of people in their room. Similarly, Crist discussed how her favorite place, Watzek Library, allows her to hang out with friends, particularly in its study rooms. According to her, the library’s third floor is “the perfect place to study,” with many beautiful areas, especially when sunlight shines through the trees. Roth told me that his favorite space on campus is the chapel, as he enjoys playing the organ there. He also enjoys going to Frank Manor to appreciate the view of Mount Hood.
I ended my brief interviews by asking the students what they were looking forward to for fall semester. For Baughn, they were most excited about getting further into their classes and learning more. They cannot wait to get into projects for classes like Research Methods for Politics and History of the United States in the 20th Century. Crist, on the other hand, said that she was eager to attend events on campus, especially the German Club. As a member of the student organization, she was very particularly enthusiastic about Oktoberfest. Finally, Roth said he was looking forward to events in the winter, such as the Christmas pageants and “Lessons & Carols.” As a piano performance major, he mentioned his excitement for the celebrity organ series and the annual James W. Rogers concert, hosted in the fall semester.
Although my interviews with these students were brief, I felt that I was able to gain a lot of insight into who they are and what they value just by asking them about their day-to-day experiences. Crist, for example, showed me how important being a part of a community is to her by talking about how much she valued Watzek as a social space and how excited she was for her club’s event this semester. In everyday conversation, there is a tendency to reduce people to their accomplishments or actions within a larger organization; variations on the phrase “oh yeah, they’re that person that did this or is a part of that” come up more often than you think they do. While this works for quick communication, I believe that even small glimpses into the most ordinary parts of people’s lives can reveal the most about them.
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