A smaller school, Pepperdine organizes NSO to foster community. But NSO, a form of mandatory community, is not the only community on campus.
Just in case you’re confused, we’re not talking about the “Nso” tribe of Cameroon. While they do wear orange and blue caps and dance to drums (really, they do), the Nso language probably doesn’t consist of lots of whooping “ayo, Waves” and asking which dorm you’re living in.
But while the Nso people aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, NSO has passed. That passing saddens some and enthuses others. If you’re saddened, congratulations. You’ve no doubt made some new best friends and have fallen in love with Pepperdine in a big way. You’re probably just as excited to rush a fraternity or sorority and apply for international programs.
Thank your NSO leaders for being the ambassadors of the love we all hold for Pepperdine. Even though most of the Graphic staff aren’t kindly carting your dorm stuff from your car before you can unbuckle your seatbelt (though we can briskly type about how other people do actual labor), we also think that over your four years here, you, too, will find it’s a place worth loving.
If, however, the prospects of getting “mugged” and pulled into a surprise disco in the Caf were more jarring than endearing to you, take heart! You’re not alone. You will find and make friends at Pepperdine ¬¬— despite your initial perceptions, we don’t always wear blue and orange spandex and yell a lot. Well, we can only speak for ourselves on the spandex.
The thing about mandatory community is, it’s everywhere. In high school, PE classes gathered students from every clique together under the same gym roof and in the same gym clothes. At Pepperdine, NSO is just the first in a string of mandatory communities. Each freshman will no doubt bond over taking HUM 111 with Sonia Sorrell. Wednesday morning convos will unite people in a similar way. But, if you choose, you can grow out of these things.
There are smaller and different sections of GEs as you move up the chain, and club convos are the best-kept secret to fulfilling your Convo credit needs. You don’t have to be an upperclassman to enjoy the benefits of self-selected community, either.
Essentially, and this is advice that goes beyond the four (or five) years you’ll spend at Pepperdine, you should go where people are doing what you love to find people you will love.
If NSO excited you, keep up the school spirit. Go to Pepperdine’s many sports games and cheer our school on. Or you can join Riptide, grab an orange jumpsuit and face paint, and help your fellow sports enthusiasts stir the crowd. If helping out behind the scenes shelving books or sorting mail excites you, apply for those campus jobs. (I-9 cards are available in the Career Center.)
We may not be the biggest party school, but about a quarter of Pepperdine students have fraternity brothers or sorority sisters. We may not be as full of activists as most colleges, but Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians are all well represented by student groups. Those with aspirations of making a difference will find more service opportunities than they’ll know what to do with.
The biggest ways to find community, clocking in at over 60 percent of students, are International Programs. Some of the closest friendships any Pepperdine student can experience are those that develop over a year gallivanting through foreign countries. Ask any IP alum where the bulk of their social circle comes from, and the answer will most likely coincide with their time abroad.
Or, hey, you can come check out the Graphic. Sure, suggesting such a thing is admittedly shameless self-promotion, but you just might find your home in the world of storytelling, deadlines and grammar jokes. We sure did!
There is a place for you at Pepperdine. It just might take some time for you to find it. So, be patient in your efforts. You could find friends in the lobby of your dorm one night when you stay up till 3:30 a.m. to watch “House Hunters International” on HGTV, or you may find them when you take up secondhand smoking and begin hanging out at the tables outside the library. The key is that your best community will be the one you choose, the one you want to be in, and the one you are really invested in. We’re all at Pepperdine because we chose to be here, and that’s what makes our community.
