Walking across campus yesterday, I hardly recognized the landscape from the one I stepped foot on just over three years ago. I was a freshman then, filled to the brim with ambition: ambition that has carried me far and provided me with a lifetime of memories. Back then, campus was a different place – perhaps it was not entirely different from today, but it was different, nonetheless.
My freshman year, we had no Heisman trophy winner, no statue of Nick Saban and no Speaker of the SGA Senate. There were no trendy emails from President Witt regarding racism on campus, no Malone-Hood Plaza and no midnight stabbings at Lakeside Diner. The south end zone had no upper deck, the Honors College Assembly didn’t exist, and ATO wasn’t trying to compensate for anything by placing University Boulevard in shadow.
In those days, students did their course surveys by hand, sans about a million emails from Dr. Bonner. The Crimson Ride was only a year old, and 348-RIDE didn’t care if you wanted to go to a bar, or leave one, so long as you were entertaining and polite en route. Five dollars got you a bottomless red solo cup at the house on Reed Street, and a meal plan swipe and hour’s conversation in line got you delicious Lakeside Grill.
At 11:30 each Saturday night, half the town would flock to buy another case of beer before midnight, because Sunday sales were prohibited. At 12:05 a.m., the other half realized their mistake, and drove the 45 minutes to Jefferson County to restock. Back then, Kendra Key tried pulling a John Henry, and nearly beat the Machine; it was the first time in several years the SGA had used electronic voting. Student Involvement was run by Corrie Harris, a dedicated individual the Capstone will never be able to thank enough, and Dr. Blackburn was still alive.
One of my favorite stories to tell about my time at UA comes from when I served in the SGA Senate. Libby Anderson Cater Halaby – the first female SGA president at the Capstone (1944-45), for whom the Anderson Society is named – came to speak to us one night. “When I was your age,” she said, “we had a saying on campus. It was a common tale in those days that if a virgin ever walked by Denny Chimes, a brick would fall out.” She then paused to look around the room, and continued, “last I checked, it’s still standing…”
Despite the many changes that have occurred on campus, the Capstone will always remain special to me. My time here has been time well spent, and there’s not a thing I would change about it. From close friends, amazing faculty and a tremendous athletic program, my college experience at UA has been everything I ever could have asked for. While new buildings go up, and old ones come down; organizations change and at times even become obsolete; and progress continues to take its altering course, I take comfort in knowing that the true essence of what makes UA such a wonderful place will never change. After all, Denny Chimes is still standing.
West Honeycutt is a senior majoring in political science. He will graduate this month.
