The Bolder Life: A Sea of Black and Gold

For Boulder residents just getting used to the quiet, peaceful atmosphere that exists during the blissful months of summer—I hope you savored the moment. Boulder is a buzz again and if you’re brave enough to venture near campus, you’ll quickly be engulfed in a sea of gold shirts worn by wide-eyed, energetic freshman—soaking up what can be considered their first and last weekend of freedom. With the last wave of new students settling into their assigned dorm rooms, the activities and Welcome Back events begin.

Friday morning, adorned in matching “shoulder to shoulder” buffalo-gold T-shirts, incoming freshman sat together inside of the Coors Event Center for an official 45 minute welcome to the University of Colorado followed by one giant party at Farrand Field. Global Jam, as it’s known, is basically a giant mixer for new students to meet new people, eat free food and listen to live music. The event celebrates many different cultures and transforms Farrand Field into a large festival for most of the afternoon.

Other events put on by the university this weekend include a multi-day Welcome Fest at the University Memorial Center—complete with salsa dancing, henna tattoos, crafts, live music, food and giveaways.

Local businesses welcome the students back with open arms and local bars that felt a little deserted for the past few months, are excited to have their bar stools and cash registers full once again. Specials and discounts are being offered by the majority of retail stores in the area—which are happy to see the students back, but even more excited to see their parents…

If school spirit isn’t really your thing, and you cringe at the thought of thousands of students descending on Boulder again, here’s some words of advice.

Avoid student hotspots such as the Hill, campus, any bar with a stuffed buffalo head on the inside and the Target located off of 28^th and Pearl. Trust me. You’ll thank me in the long run.

Welcome Class of 2015. While the majority of you still look like 12-year-olds, we all have faith that you will grow into your bodies and go on to become successful engineers, artists, actors, chemists, lawyers, businessmen and one day, start contributing to society as CU Boulder alum. Best of luck, and keep in mind—that keeping up with your school work is kind of important, bicycles and skateboards should be used with caution on campus and when you get a place of your own, remember that although you might not have to work at 8am, your neighbor probably does.

Go Buffs!