After 14 weeks of classes, many freshmen have officially found dorms and cafeteria food to be bringing the comforts of home. While Warrensburg High School 2023 Alumni James Saffold, Cameron King, and Jackson Mailen find nothing else unites the three new students like their MuleNation. Each has diligently focused on their different majors, unique living conditions and interacting with UCM in separate ways.
James Saffold, freshman, is the only one of the three to choose to live on campus. James, unlike many students coming from WHS, views that as an advantage on the issue of living on campus.
“I feel like you meet people a lot easier.” Saffold said. “You know, because you go on your floor you meet people from all different majors, all different walks of life, things like that.”
“Whereas if I was a commuter student, I would really only meet people except if I joined a fraternity or sorority.”
“With the marching band, I feel like I’m definitely a big part of the community. And I definitely feel like I’m a big part of the music community here, especially because of how many different groups and ensembles I’m in.”
— Cameron King, Freshman
“Of course, I really only meet people who are also in class and it is kind of hard to mingle in class, you’re not really there to socialize, whereas [in the dorms] I kind of got a head start,” Saffold said.
Despite that Saffold does admit that there are issues he has with the dorms. Among them are the elevator and the age of the dorm.
“I live on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator. So I mean, that’s really out of anybody’s control. But if I had to pick a least favorite aspect, that’d probably be it right there,” he said.
Saffold also feels very attached to UCM. As a student and Warrensburg native, Saffold feels a deep pride to be a tiger turned mule. He says “I take a sense of pride in what I do here, and where I go to college.”
Other students feel less strongly about where they go to school. Mailen is a freshman commuter student and says his decision to go to UCM was all about money. Mailen also says he isn’t much of a member of the UCM campus yet.
“I’m more involved in Warrensburg and Knob Noster itself rather than campus. Just personally being a local there,” Mailen said.
Mailen also feels like he isn’t interested in many of the on campus activities outside his major, with him much preferring to focus on being an Assistant Robotics Coach at Knob Noster High School rather than be in a club on campus.
Not all commuter students are so distant from the university however. King, a freshman saxophone player, is a proud member of many musical groups on campus. Despite being a commuter student, King feels he has gotten to know many students through a love of music, and the shared experience of being in the marching mules. King also feels UCM is “a lot closer of a community.” King says that through the band he feels like a member of the UCM community.
“With the marching band, I feel like I’m definitely a big part of the community. And I definitely feel like I’m a big part of the music community here, especially because of how many different groups and ensembles I’m in,” King said.
