But when rush ends and the booths and peppy recruitment shirts are gone, Greek life won’t suddenly go into hibernation. Take a careful look around campus next week. You’ll see some freshman men proudly sporting shiny new pledge pins on their chests. Notice the tables pushed together in Price Center. Check out the rock garden in HSS. And if you still aren’t getting it, spend about a minute in RIMAC and you’ll understand.

The idea of being immersed in Greek life may seem like an alien college experience. Bros casually walk into class in “Greek Life” tanks, painfully aware of UCSD’s social reputation. Every chapter is purportedly different, though the connotation associated with each set of Greek letters is obscured from those not in the know.

Yet this detached viewpoint of Greek life completely misses out on what it’s like to be Greek. There’s a reason why so many of your peers are Greek, and a reason why they wear it on their sleeves. Given the climate at this school, many are proud to take part in the type of student experience Greek life offers. And despite UCSD’s size, Greeks are part of a small community. They have access to a stable environment where they are able to mature as they go through college, learning the skills needed to lead the chapters they once rushed.  

If you know where to look, there are signs of Greek activity all around campus. But these don’t reveal anything about what it’s like being a Greek at UCSD.  

My point here is this. Given the size of UCSD, there are all sorts of different campus communities engaged in different ways. What they do and their impact at UCSD is often misunderstood as well. I think that anyone who feels that “SD” actually stands for “Socially Dead” simply isn’t paying close enough attention, or they just haven’t found their niche yet.

I’m starting my fifth year at UCSD. This column, in which I will focus on student life, will be my first time writing for the Guardian. If you read this column, I want to help you understand everything from the realities of Greek life to the inner workings of our student government. I want to articulate the moments of frustration, utter confusion and collegiate elation that we feel as students at this school. In short, I want to write what students intuitively feel, but no one publicly speaks about.

So, pay attention to what you see around you on campus. Or if you like, just pay attention, and every other week over the coming year, I’ll do my best to break it down for you.