Studying world issues as a high school student, she realized, “The world is so big, and mine is so small.”

Laura McGee, an associate professor of modern languages, studied French in high school and aspired to study abroad in France.

Getting an acceptance letter back, she was told France was full and had to choose from a list of other available countries.

In dorm rooms across campus, some students have delivering restaurants on speed dial and make campus eateries their first choice. Others dig deeper, often flaunting their cooking skills and filling the dorm hallways with the smell of baked and fried foods.

Swarms of students gathered in Jaycees Pavilion Friday night as the scent of beer and anticipation filled the air.

Greek fighters filed out of a doorway shrouded in black focused and ready as “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor roared through the room.

Knuckles were clenched into tight fists as the fifth annual Sigma Chi Battle of the Greeks went into its championship rounds.

Alone and in an unfamiliar place, she asked her ex-boyfriend to come stay the night for emotional support and nothing more. It became more. Something unwanted. And she kept it hidden so it affected future relationships.

“I was crying and saying ‘no,’ while he progressed into having sex with me.”