Aite boom. It’s graduation day; a day of celebration and reflection. A chance for you to revel in the success of you and your mates, get excited for whatever the next stage holds for you, and undoubtedly experience the charm of Newcastle at night for one final time.
I’ll start quickly by reflecting on what a great year it’s been for the SU. We hosted events such as Summer Jam, which showcased brilliant student musicians despite the worst weather imaginable. We finally divested from fossil fuels to do our part for the planet. We got the University to make the first replacement of student smartcards free, and finally, we lobbied them to be the first university in England to introduce free, campus-wide sanitary items for the people! Louder for the people in the back!
I want to thank every student who engaged with us and used one of our services, whether it was playing a sport, being part of a society, voting in elections, being a course rep or anything else. I also want to apologise for being unable to make Luther’s better than Spoons or the Hancock; I tried – it does have live sport and a piano now though!?
On a bigger level, most of us are about to leave for good, so I feel I should reflect on some of the most memorable parts of Newcastle University life. Starting with some of the things we think we won’t miss, but probably will once we’re in a stuffy office: a shout-out to the all-nighters and early mornings in the Robbo. To facing questions in a 9am seminar despite being in a takeaway hours previously. To group projects. To being constantly reminded Martin Luther King visited here once. To the messy kitchens and passive aggressiveness of flatmates and to living off the reduced sections in supermarkets. To Soho Rooms for being an incredibly underwhelming hellhole of a place, but where you could always quench your thirst and find a friend. You all made the university experience what it is, and it wouldn’t be the same without you.
Now for some, but certainly not all, of what we’ll really miss: a shoutout to the relief of finishing your diss and grabbing a pic in front of the Arches to please the Insta followers. To the rare days of sun and flocking to your flat rooftops, Exhibition Park, Leazes field, Jesmond Dene or Tynemouth. To discovering gems in the city like Tyneside Cinema, Ouseburn and Wylam Brewery. To going ‘out’, but not ‘out, out’. To the legendary 24 hour curry house, the Koh-I-Noor, and numerous Munchies for feeding us in the early hours when we needed it most. To Newfess, for keeping us far too distracted during exams. To living within a 10 minute radius of all your mates.
To the people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve gained, and maybe even the new perspectives on life we’ve attained, we’ll miss you Newcastle University.
Big up the Toon, you’ve been real. We may be leaving, but what we’ve learnt and the friends we’ve made will always be with us, so you will too.
