This merciless semester is finally drawing to somewhat of a close, and I can’t help but find myself wondering, *cue Sarah Jessica Parker voiceover* “What is awkward at CU?” Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation that’s driven my own weekly series to the point of existential crisis, but I think for my final post it’d be fruitful to ponder what exactly makes Columbia the impenetrable fortress of uncomfortable encounters and feelings we students know it to be.
Awkwardness is a word whose etymology I can only (half-jokingly) imagine reads something like, “From the Latin awk, shorthand for ‘awful’; the Greek ward, a antiquated spelling of ‘weird’; and the suffix –ness, which somehow once again references ‘awful.’” Actually, I’m sure that’s the etymology of awkwardness. Trust me, I’m an English major.
Without further ado, my comprehensive list of what’s awkward at Columbia:
