Upperclass

Back in the day, being a senior in school was the ultimate. You ruled the school and no one asked questions especially not those measly little freshman nobodies.

Freshman: "Umm, where's the library?"
Senior: "Hehehe, uhh it's on the 5th floor off of the purple elevator near the pool."

Silly upperclassman, there is no pool, purple elevator or 5th floor!*

*(This is all from the prospective of someone who actually gave a shit about this stuff in high school/cared about social rankings.)

Now it's that time again-- I'm a senior yet again. Do I want to be? Not particularly. Do I crave the power and ability to haze unsuspecting newbies? Meh. I actually feel quite the opposite. Having never been personally harassed by someone of a higher school ranking I have no intention of seeking revenge on people four years younger then me (side note: in coming class of 2012 was born in 1990--no more 80's babies, that's gross).

My first year at UMassD was socially, kind of a breeze. First semester, when I wasn't home every weekend with my bf I was in my room under a miniature man made blanket and pillow fort like you'd make as a child. Why the Twin XL sheet fortress? My roomie insisted the light on my laptop was too bright for her precious I-go-to-bed-at-9 p.m.-eyes. Right so that wasn't exactly a dive into the social pool of beer pong and pre-gaming any activity involving breathing. When I finally got thrown into the not-so-deep end, I made friends fast with surprisingly 12 seniors all graduating that coming spring.

They welcomed me and the other youngins’ in with open arms, a shot glass in one hand and, well, one in the other. These people taught me everything I needed to know about theater (we were all members of the Theatre Company) and about life in general--how to enjoy your 4 (sometimes 5) years in college to the fullest and not to let a minute go to waste.

Graduation that year was rough. Our fearless leaders left us with a last resort leader and a group of determined kids pumped to give it their all. Now, it's our turn. My class is now that class--the upperclassmen that have the fate of the future generations in their hands. We must take the little impressionable runts under our arms and out till 5 a.m. building bonfires in the woods, climbing the tallest tower on campus and watching the sunset and then rise all in one night.

We fully intend on living it up this year while showing the new kids what they have to look forward to in the next four years and leaving them with the tools they need to survive...minus all the abuse, spankings with wooden paddles or ritualistic sacrificing of rookie blood.