First off, who are these people? These people are new. Filling up desks, filling up tables, filling up computers, chairs, and rooms. Mouses are clicking. Keyboards are clacking. Pages are turning. Presenters are presenting, forgetting…pacing…and presenting some more.
What is this?
Where are all the open spaces? The go-to room or the usual corner?
Pairs of eyeballs are glued to the monitors. Except for that pair, glued to a monitor, a phone, and a tablet. How does that even work? Two eyes for three screens?
These students are zoned in.
Smiling, happy faces are nowhere to be found. A quick scan was done to the left and another to the right, nothing was found except those non-blinking eyes and some stale expressions. The occasional sigh was uttered and even an “oh my gosh” as a student buried their face in their book.
More talk and emotion came from the variety of clothing being worn. Suits with ties or dresses with heels in one room. Baggy sweatpants with an old sweatshirt plagued the rest. Hoods are up or hats are turned backwards. Blackhawk jerseys act as the only pop of color in the sea of what otherwise seems to all be gray clothing.
Earbuds are in and are playing music. Coffees are downed cup after cup. Knees are bouncing at desks. There is no communication between students either. There are no groups or clusters, just individuals. Individuals studying, reading, writing, and presenting.
Yet, they are all together. They are all under one roof, and in one library. They are all working toward the same goal. Finish those papers, perfect those presentations, complete those projects, and beat those finals.
Welcome to Week Ten in Oesterle Library.
