iPods and Laptops

Posted Aug 28, 2006 by Adam Emerson

Updated Aug 28, 2006 at 06:20 PM

8:47 a.m.
It’s early, but the library already is busy. Students are filing in, most bearing the distinguishable white iPod earphones. They take a seat, half flipping open laptops, the other half jockeying for a spot at a library computer where they check their e-mail.

It’s loud for a library. The commons area is not known for “quiet study.” A cell phone rings with the theme song for “Miami Vice.” Another student is talking to a friend, complaining. “My laptop has decided it doesn’t want to work today,” he says. “I’m waiting for some idiot to come by and do something with this.” His language deteriorates into a manner unsuitable for a family newspaper, so I’ll stop here.

An Awakening Campus

Posted Aug 28, 2006 by Adam Emerson

Updated Aug 28, 2006 at 08:47 AM

8:02 a.m.
The traffic off Fowler Avenue already is congested. But I enter the USF campus and slip into a parking spot easily. I feel a little guilty because this will not be possible in about two hours.
The campus is quiet. I can hear a weed trimmer in the distance as I walk past the library. The sun is just visible over the College of Arts and Sciences, and the grass is a little wet. A few students are walking to and from the library, lazily shuffling their flip-flops. Three office workers are walking to the College of Arts and Sciences, carrying Starbucks coffee and chatting about a birthday party they attended last night.?
Rhaissa Rodriquez, 22, is sitting outside the Arts and Sciences building, text-messaging a friend while waiting for her 9 a.m. Latin class.
Latin?
“I need a language class,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted to do Spanish, but when my adviser heard I wanted to go to law school, he said I should take Latin.”

About This Blog

Posted Aug 25, 2006 by Adam Emerson

Updated Aug 26, 2006 at 08:03 AM

Monday is the first day of classes at the University of South Florida. I’ll be watching for special moments—from the quirky to the comedic to the serious—and report them here. Check back frequently.