The Badgers: Spring Hill's Saving Grace

Receiving a decent sized scholarship to Spring Hill College, the school that had once rested at the bottom of my list of perspective colleges, instantly became the only school on my list. Coming from an all guy Jesuit school of 1,600 students, the small Spring Hill College of 1,300 students seemed to be, in all regards, a downgrade. But now, as the end of my final semester at Spring Hill approaches, I am able to see how wrong my young self was in doubting Spring Hill.  In the beginning, I hated the idea that I would be going to Spring Hill for college, but that has all changed.

As my four-year career at St. Xavier HS was quickly nearing its end, an end in which I would be going to Spring Hill while everyone else, so it seemed, would be going to some awesome state school of 25,000+ students. As dooms day neared, I began to reflect, recalling all of the good times I had in high school, all of the epic stories I would forever tell.

Through my reflection, I realized that the memories I was recalling would be the only things from High School that I would remember 20 years from now. These memories were not memories of getting an A in Chemistry, or acing my Calculus test. Although, it is important to do well in school, grades should not be the only thing that matters. These memories that I will forever hold were of the good times I had with my friends; the friends that I would be leaving when I was to walk across the stage in my cap and gown. Friends. They are what really matter, not the classes, the papers, or the exams. You have to relearn half the material in college anyway!

Graduation came and went, and summer passed all too quickly. I was not a “Bomber” anymore; I was now a “Badger”… Not the most intimidating mascot I had ever heard of. I dreaded the day I moved from the up-and-coming city of Cincinnati to become a resident of a city that I only knew for its Leprechaun and those who claim its existence; I was now a resident of Mobile, AL.

Trying to make the best of the situation, I made a group of friends within the first couple of weeks of school. I liked them at first, but I slowly realized that this group was not a group that I wanted to be a part of for the next four years, so I separated myself from them near the end of my first semester.  I wanted to transfer that winter break, but I decided to give Spring Hill another chance.

The next semester I struggled to find a new group of close friends. But as time passed, I began to hang out with some of the guys that lived in my hall. We became closer friends as the semester progressed, and decided to live together for our sophomore year in a “pod”—a residence hall that has four rooms on either side of a shared common area. There were 13 of us signed up to live together in the pod. At the time, I was excited, but I still did not think that I was getting the most out of my college experience while at Spring Hill. However, I wanted to give pod living a chance, so I decided to stay one last semester. This was the best decision I think that I have ever made.

Pod living was awesome. It was everything I had hoped for, and then some. The 13 of us became best friends, and we did everything together. In our time living in the pod, many memories were made; memories that outshine my most cherished from high school. When people say that college is one of the best times of your life, they aren’t lying. The 13 of us were students by day, and ragers by night; we were no longer seen as individuals, but as a collective group known by most around campus as “Pod 112”.  Organizing and hosting some of the most innovative parties Spring Hill has seen in years, we quickly appeared on the radar of the RA’s and Residence Life Staff, but that did not stop us, it only strengthened the bond of our friendship.  Unfortunately, summer came much too fast that year, forcing us to move out of the pod.

The 13 of us can all agree, that the year “Pod 112” was birthed will be a year none of us will ever forget.  Despite the fact that we all were never  to live under the same roof again in our time at Spring Hill, “Pod 112” lives on today.  Although there still exists a pod that bares the numbers 1-1-2, the name “Pod 112” no longer refers to one of Spring Hill’s living areas. “Pod 112” defines an indestructible entity that is comprised of 13 parts, bonded together by a friendship so strong, that to this day it remains whole.

I am certain that if I had attended any school that is not Spring Hill, a group like “Pod 112” would not have been possible.  As a Badger, you get to know everyone you go to school with; you will never walk into any building on campus and not know anybody; you are able to eat lunch and dinner everyday with your close friends; you are able to really get to know your friends, and possibly form your own “Pod 112”. As a Badger, a social life is possible for anyone, whether you are a dweeb or a jock; there is no party you will be turned down from.  No other school, is any of this possible. 

Being a Badger means something at Spring Hill. We do not have a football team, or a “big city” bar scene, or even a prominent Greek Life. But, this means nothing. When there is a Badger soccer game or rugby game, over half the student body will be in attendance, tailgating, and showing Badger Pride. Every baseball game, there are Badgers lining the wall of the field, talking smack to the other teams, bleeding their Badger blood. On the weekends, all types of Badgers can be seen raging, whether it be that one nerdy Badger that sits behind you in Calculus, the hipster Badger that likes to wear funky clothes, or even the sporty Badger clearing his or her mind after a tough practice, you will see Badger’s raging. Spring Hill may only consist of 1,300 students, but all of these students are Badgers, and they show their Badger Pride at any event, no matter what it is.

As my four-year career at Spring Hill College is quickly nearing its end, I do not possess feelings of regret. Although sadness is with out a doubt present, it is nothing but a shadow to the fulfillment I feel when I look back at the friends I have made in my time here. My college life has been lived out to its fullest extent. The memories that I so cherished in high school pale in comparison to the multitude of memories that I am taking with me from Spring Hill. Being a Badger has allowed me to form friendships that most schools are unable to facilitate. My close friends, “Pod 112”, have been a huge influence on the person I have become, and I am positive that this friendship would not have been possible at any other school.  At first glance Spring Hill may not seem like a catch to most, but most don’t know anything about being a Badger.

Written By: Nick Friedmann

A Senior Computer Information Systems Major from Cincinnati, OH. Nick is looking to to go into pre-sales at a software company producing ERP solutions and data management.