Meliora. The word flung through my head like a dozen acrobats in the county square. But what does it mean? Is it the voice of a generation, or does the spirit of Meliora call to a greater place, a place of longing and companionate love?
The thing about Meliora is, it’s kind of a connections thing. It’s not so much a state of mind as it is a feeling that starts in your toes and ends where your dreams begin. You know, it’s funny, ‘cause to me Meliora is the squeeze of the tomato seed, the gushy oozy juice from that Worchester tang (call it Mel sauce—eh, you know what I mean). It’s got a little bit of pepper and a little bit of jack, but when you put it all together you get what we call a family.
But don’t take my word for it. Here are some of what UR’s brightest voices have to say about the spirit of this great nation we call “Meliora.”
ELIZABETH: It’s kind of a connections thing. It’s the razzle dazzle you feel in your step, the rock and roll that hits your feet when you get out of bed. To me, being a student at UR is about calling to a greater service than that which is my own. I’m just really proud to be a part of such a supportive and enriching commentary.
MATT: It’s like, a feeling you get when you walk through the parking lot where you’re like, “Yeah, I belong here.” What I like so much about Meliora are the people that are in it, and the good times we share. I can say I’ve met so many people who are like, “Yeah, we support you.”
TANNER: Well, for one thing, Meliora ain’t easy! I can definitely say that the professors here challenge me to my most withering heights. But it’s also, like, really fun because you get to talk about things like “Twin Peaks” in class and then the professor’s like, “Who wants a cheese pizza?” It’s hard, but at the end of the day I know why it went down.
ANASTASIA: I like the class size, it’s not too big but it’s also not big.
FLETCHER: I’m a business major, which means I have a lot of time on my hands and places to be. When I entered Meliora Square for the first time, the faculty extended open arms to my season’s greetings. I couldn’t have asked for an easier come down experience from the gram of external credits that then shifted to my inter-curricular enrollment fund. So for me, Meliora is about, well, having a little bit of fun.
PAPRIKA: The Pit offers a wide assortment of goods and services drenched in thick and gooey asiago compote with just a sprinkle of home grown, grass-fed dish.
REESE: Meliora? It’s like, you wake up everyday feeling really good about the day ahead, and the teachers play a big role in that. I can think of this one time, when I got so drunk at Chi Phi but honestly not even as drunk as Teddy who was like, way over his limit. They had edible arrangements but they were like, alcoholic. You know the fruits that are presented to look like a basket of flowers? The pineapple one was honestly so good, like, take me away from that please before I eat all of it.
VIRGINIA: I think it comes down to the classes here which are all too good and super challenging. For example, Instagram.
