You Know You're a Gustie When...

I'm going to start by saying that us Gusties are a different population. Every college campus has a different feel, but what makes Gustavus so homey and welcoming is the students, staff, and the little quirks that every student picks up once they live there. The traditions, and habits we perform is what makes us special. It doesn't take long to pick up the habits and norms that are now automatic for returning students. As a Gustie, it definitely becomes more clear to me just how Gustie-like I am when I come off the hill, and I'd like to share what those things are!

You know you're a Gustie when...

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1. Gusty during a forecast doesn't relate to wind

As a Gustie, I have now gotten used to the word "gusty" meaning a Gustavus student, not an adjective describing the weather. Us Gusties have a lot of school spirit, and proudly proclaim "Gusties will shine" on the daily. I am at the point where I can be tuning out the news completely while at home, but when the weather man happens to say the magic word, I respond like a dog that has just spotted a squirrel. While gusty still does have some meaning pertaining to the weather, for me it is because it can get so gustie on the hill, which we joke is why we are called the Gusties. I can't help but get excited and feel the school pride whenever Dave Dahl says it, but in all honesty, I don't think anyone knows what gustie winds feel like until you've been up on the hill on a windy day.

2. You have to hold the door open

This is mandatory for all Gustavus students. An unwritten rule that will last for generations. Gustavus students are friendly, generous, and go out of their way to help others which is why opening/holding doors for others is such a norm. If you don't hold the door open for someone, we will hardcore judge you, but of course won't say anything because that is not the Gustie thing to do since we are too nice. It is not uncommon for someone to hold the door open for you even if you are a good 20 seconds away, so you have to do the awkward fast walk/jog to try to eliminate the significant distance between you and the door, yet they just stand there holding the door with a smile on their face the whole time. You can always expect a "thank you" in return. I am pretty positive that if there were 10 doors in a row, a Gustie would give you a "thanks" for every door.

3. You abbreviate everything

I know this isn't exclusive to Gustavus, it is more of a college student thing in general, but we abbreviate everything even if the name is already short. There are the obvious ones like caf=cafeteria, and psych=psychology. But Gusties also have GAC= Gustavus Adolphus College, STP= St. Peter, Kato=Mankato, lib=library, prof=professor, Swest= Southwest Hall, Rundy=Rundstrom Hall, arb=arboretum, the blue= the gymnasium, CV= college view, pv= prairie view, CC= Christ Chapel, courtyard= courtyard cafe, prospie= prospective student, coed= Norelius Hall, and lastly, we have an abbreviation for an abbreviation in itself: plex= complex= North Sorensen and Gibbs Halls.

4. You're involved in too much

One of the trademarks of Gustavus, is that it is swarming with "Over involved Gusties." I don't think you will find one student on campus that isn't involved in some type of extracurricular, or club. It is also rare to find a student that is involved in less that 2 clubs. We have Involvment Fairs twice a year which gives students a chance to find new organizations to be a part of. It is like going into Target (The Target Effect) with the purpose of picking up one thing, but coming out with a cart full. I told myself as a freshman that I would be involved in gymnastics and that is it because I wanted to focus on school. To this day, I am involved in 11 different organizations. The Target Effect got me, and while I am pretty sure if I add one more organization to my schedule it will burst, but I have so many more organizations I wish I could join! I should be in the juggling club because I am so good at juggling my busy schedule! (Yes, there is a juggling club).

5. Becky isn't Becky with the good hair

Ever since Beyonce made the reference to "Becky with the good hair" in one of her songs, the name Becky to most people is associated to that. Not us Gusties. Our president, Becky Bergman, is near and dear to all of our hearts. On very rare occasions will a Gustie refer to her as President Bergman because we all know her as Becky! I will name drop her during a conversation with my parents, and they will say "Becky who?" But with my Gustavus buddies, Becky never needs to be explained. Our president is always easily spotted on campus, talking to students, and really takes the time to be invested in the community. This is just one of the reasons we love her so much. She is at almost all of the events, just as energized as we are. And for the record, Becky's hair is always good as well.

6. You cautiously eat bananas

When eating a banana in the caf, one must be very careful. There is an instagram account called @gacbananas that is dedicated solely to close ups of Gustavus students eating bananas. It is an anonymous account, so you never know if one of the admins is in the caf, ready to take your picture. I used to frequently get bananas as a freshman, but once one of my friend's picture ended up on the account that was sitting at the same table as me, I have noticed a decline in my banana consumption. It is a very real thing on campus. Everyone knows about the account by their sophomore year. Even now when I am not on campus, I will cut my banana up into slices with the irrational fear of my face showing up on my insta feed.

7. You put your cookies on tin foil

One of our favorite things to do in the caf is grab a cookie from the bakery, put it on some tin foil, and send it through our conveyor toaster. Once it comes out the other side, you are left with a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie. I think in all my time at Gustavus, I have seen the toaster used more for sending cookies through it than bagels, and toast. Gusties can get pretty creative with their cookies!

8. Homecoming mean kettle corn and alpacas

All current and former Gusties know that homecoming is not just about football. It is tradition for giant bags of Auntie Wendy's Kettle Corn to be floating around the whole campus during homecoming, as well as the famous petting zoo to be set up right next to the field. The kettle corn is made by a Gustavus family which makes it even better. This petting zoo that appears on campus several times a year entails farm dogs, goats, a mini horse, and my favorite..alpacas! (Fun fact, alpacas don't spit but llamas do). As much as I'd like to say I go to the football game for the purpose of cheering on the team, I'm sorry, but alpacas win me over every time.

9. You go traying

On the first big snow fall of the year, our cafeteria staff will email the whole campus telling us to come get the plastic trays out of the caf to ride them down the hill (not to be confused with "death hill" which is also a Gustie thing.) This is a Gustavus tradition that is basically a right of passage (as well as making the climb up death hill at least once.) It is not uncommon for students to come into the cafeteria fully clothed in winter gear, grab a tray, and leave, because we all know where they are going. Imagine driving up the main entrance of Gustavus, and seeing students ride down the icy slope on a cafeteria tray, and wiping out right before they hit the concrete benches. This is a norm! I'd also like to mention, that as a Gustavus student, no one uses trays to carry their food on. 1. It isn't considered cool to carry a tray and 2. We all know that all of the campus' behinds have sat on those trays. Which do you think the real reason we don't use trays is?... :)

10. Seeing Gustavus alumni/students off campus requires mandatory acknowledgement

Our Gustavus network is very close-knit. Gusties will always help out other Gusties! For example, a current 2018 grad just started working as a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness. We both recognized each other and wore our Gustavus gear around the gym. He then came up to me the other day and asked if I'd like a free personal training session! Without the Gustie connection, I don't think that would have happened. If I see someone wearing Gustavus clothing, I will go out of my way to talk to them even if I have never met them. I am not much of an extrovert, but being a Gustie and seeing a Gustie makes all my introvert tendencies melt away as I just walk right up to them and start talking. In this past month, I had two Gustavus alumni from years back approach me at Lifetime and we instantly could strike up a conversation. This is also when I can tell Gusties are a certain type of person. Every Gustie is similar in the way that we are welcoming, approachable, and have such a love for Gustavus that relating to each other is easy. I get so excited when I see a Gustavus bumper sticker, license plate, see the three crowns, or as us Gusties know, the parking permit stickers on the back of all our cars. It is not a Gustie thing to do to see another fellow Gustie and not say something!

I have so much pride in being a Gustavus student. I love my school, and everyone in it. Gustavus really does have a different feel than any other college campus I have been to, and that is why I fell in love with it in the first place. St. Olaf and Gustavus have the same mascot, colors, and are both on a hill, but as I always say, it is the people who make all the difference! As a Gustie I can promise you, I will always open doors for you, say hi to you if you are wearing something Gustavus, try to like St. Thomas even when I am not supposed to, brag about Becky, not use a cafeteria tray to carry my food, use unnecessary abbreviations, pay closer to attention to weather forecasts on windy days, pet alpacas, be involved in too many things, and cut my bananas up into slices. :)

Have a golden gustie kind of week, my friends!

~Lauren