So, Chapel Sing. Yeah…

I really don’t know what to say about this.

I’m not saying it was bad. Rather, it was an experience; all the guys standing in their lines, singing while Sphinx Club members try to catch them slipping up, all of it is better if the viewer is present than if they’re just reading about someone talking about it. Being new to this experience, I have no idea if it’s better watching or singing (probably singing), but most of the participants seemed to have fun… although some of the Sphinx Club members seemed to have had a little too much fun.

That, however, is not a bad thing; it is the job of the Sphinx Club to protect and spread the traditions of Wabash. Chapel Sing is a very important tradition, and they need to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, otherwise the entire experience is lost. Yes, I could try to make an argument that they should have eased up a little with hunting down people making mistakes, but I don’t think it would be a very strong argument. They’re just doing their job, and we can’t blame them for that.

If any non-Wabash readers are here, I would recommend going to Chapel sing sometime in the future, just for the experience. I’m not saying you should fly halfway across the country just to see a bunch of guys singing a song (although that hasn’t stopped people from going to rock concerts), but if you ever happen to be visiting on Homecoming Week, stop by and check it out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.

 I went to the football game today, and what really caught my attention was the spirit. I know Wabash is a spirited school, but this was new to me. Not because I wasn’t expecting the spirit, but because I have never experienced that kind of spirit before.

A bit of explanation; my high school’s football team is pretty good (although I’ve never been a big fan of sports), however the fans are not. They’re not rowdy and disorderly… in fact, they’re not much of anything. My high school has all the spirit of a moldy stick; most Tualatin High students tend to just stand around and talk to each other instead of cheering on their fellows. They don’t sing the fight song, they don’t participate in the chants, most don’t even applaud when the team scores a touchdown.

Now that I have experienced Wabash, I see that as kind of lame.

Yes, football games are a good chance to meet up with other people, but it’s still a game and it’s still your school. You should show that you support your school and want them to succeed, otherwise why didn’t you call your friend up and go out for dinner or something instead? This is especially true at college, where most of the people around you are going to be your friends for life; you want to build meaningful experiences with them, otherwise you’re going to waste your time at college and be alone in the world.

And that’s bad.

So enjoy the spirit of the school. It will help immensely.

Greetings, fellow Wabash men (and associates).

My name is Robert Black, and I am one of your freshman bloggers for this year (yay me). Hopefully this blog will provide an insight into the life of a Wabash student for those that are not actually Wabash students (Which, hopefully, there are a few of you here that don’t go to Wabash so this actually has some meaning). Also, I hope that this gives you a better insight into me, a non-Indiana native, and my own interpretations of Wabash and Indiana.

Black ’17

I am from Oregon (somewhat; I was born in upstate New York, but moved to Oregon when I was five), and Indiana is certainly a big change. The differences are mostly aesthetic, like pine trees and copious amounts of rain, and in some ways I am going to miss that… although, the rain does get tiresome after awhile. Seriously, it’ll rain for weeks on end without stopping (it will slacken at times, but not stop), and when it does decide to let up it only does so for 2-10 minutes, tops. This might seem like nitpicking, but then you would nitpick too if you walked to school in the rain every day… not that I would give up on walking to school; it’s a nice way to collect your thoughts and get exercise, rain or no. Hopefully it won’t rain as much here in Indiana (although it does snow… I can deal with snow).

First impressions of Wabash are good; I’ve gotten a chance to get to know the guys around campus, and have had enough time left over to get my studies done with time to spare. Also, the year is still young; who knows what’s in store for me and my fellow Wabash men (like Chapel Sing; how many people have been working on the fight song?)