Back to School

Back to School

By Lisa Heller
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 23, 1996

Gregory Harris
Arizona Daily Wildcat
ABOVE: Steve Hammack, left, a maintenance mechanic, and Jeremy Morgan, a student maintenance mechanic, repair the banner in front of Old Main yesterday morning.

The sea of unfamiliar faces and a semester of new classes can add more butterflies to an already nervous student's stomach on the first day of school.
"I can't believe I'm going to be in a class with 300 people," said Ana Flores, environmental science freshman. Flores is from Show Low, where the population is about 6,000, she said.
Although Flores is attending the UA, which has a population almost six times that of her hometown, she was impressed with the friendly atmosphere.
"People are really nice here. Everyone has answers for all my questions," Flores said.
The 350 acres that make up the main campus can be a maze of confusion, which often makes it easy for some students to get lost.
But Tim Spellman, education freshman, said he decided to stake out his classes in advance to avoid getting lost.
"I haven't had any problems finding my classes so far," he said yesterday morning.
Judge Cokic, electrical engineering senior, wasn't as prepared.
He was looking for his 10 a.m. class on a campus directory at the last minute.
As students walked by him and made their way to class, Cokic could not participate in the enthusiastic atmosphere of the first day.
"It sucks. I just woke up, and I have a huge hangover. That's not a very good atmosphere," Cokic said.
Even for returning students, the first day of school can be nerve-wracking.
"You never know what to expect," said Tania Aguilar, mechanical engineering senior. "It's different getting back into the swing of things."
The UA took advantage of the three months, during which most students were not on campus, to remodel its buildings.
Students noticed the changes and additions, which included new tables and chairs, as they walked into the Park Student Union.
"It looks a lot better, newer and cleaner," said Matthew Erickson, management and information systems junior.
The Park Student Union provided a cool place to go when psychology senior Sean Kelley's first class was canceled.
Kelley was relaxing on a couch in the lounge area of the Union.
"The professor is out of the country, and now I have to find a way to kill some time," he said.
Kelley offered some advice to freshmen who may be having trouble adjusting to college life.
"Stay focused on why you're here, but at the same time, have a good time."