10 People You’ll Always Run Into At Western Michigan University

Here are the types of people that you will run into at Western Michigan University! If you are familiar with this college, you will relate!

Western Michigan University has around 20,000 students, which means that you can run into a lot of different characters during your time here. Even with the vast population of WMU, there always seems to be people that you see more frequently. Here are the 10 types of people you will run into at Western Michigan University

1. Long boarders

It’s a sunny day, still day on campus. You’re minding your own business, walking to class outside Knauss Hall about to reach Sprau Tower. Suddenly, a gust of wind envelopes your entire body and scares the sh*t out of you. A long boarder has made you its victim once again as it give no warning of it coming up on you. It bobs and weaves, narrowly missing you holding no regard for the heart attack that it just gave to you.

2. People doing vocal warm-ups in the Dalton Center

On the same concrete incline that the long boarder gave you a heart attack on is the Dalton Center, which houses the school of music. It seems that whenever you pass this building you’ll overhear a funny noise coming from inside its walls. Those “funny noises” are actually students in the school of music doing vocal warm-ups which are essential to singing properly. You aren’t a classically trained singer though, so you just think they just sound like this lady. This is another one of the types of people you will run into at Western Michigan University.

3. That guy who always wears shorts

It’s Michigan and we have like, seasons here. Summers are hot and muggy and winters are brutally cold and it snows metric tons. That doesn’t deter the guy who always wears shorts though. No matter the weather, this guy refuses to wear pants. It’s not that he’s too cool (well maybe he is in the winter because the temperatures can reach single digits), he just has immense dedication that we could all learn something from.

4. John Dunn

Since his tenure as WMU’s President ended in 2017, sadly President Dunn has now transitioned into someone you used to run into on Western’s campus. People loved this man as his grandfatherly demeanor blended so well with today’s meme culture. That create just a general sense of love for the man all throughout the campus. He also did a lot of good for the university as well and he will be dearly missed. This is another type of person you will run into at Western Michigan University.

5. That person practicing drumming near miller fountain

Odds are they are most likely in band, but if the sun’s out you’ll probably hear rhythmic tapping around the miller fountain as they practice on those drum pad things. (Ok, I just looked it up, the drum pad things are just called practice pads.) Sometimes, you might see two people using the practice pads at once and your almost hoping that maybe a flash mob might start, but then you remember that that fad died years ago.

6. Trump jacket person

This person is not a student, but a frequent visitor of the library on campus. The person wears a purple jacket with President Trump’s name spelled out in the back with yellow tape and rides a distinguishable bicycle. You don’t really know much about this individual, but you always remember when you see them because that DIY jacket is unforgettable.

7. Athletes

Every college has athletes and most are distinguishable by the same feature, the fact that they are always decked out in the school’s official apparel. Western’s are no different, but you are always extremely jealous of all the gear they have. Most schools have deals with Nike or Adidas and you know how expensive that stuff can be, and the athletes have endless (it seems endless to you at least) jackets, pants, you name it.

8. The few people that went to your high school

Unless you’re from a high school outside of Michigan, you’ll probably run into your fellow graduates on Western’s campus from time to time. It’s weird because WMU has over 20,000 students yet you always seem to spot the handful of people that went to high school with you. Your chances of running into them increase even more if you don’t want to see them because life is cruel like that.

9. The hammock people

No, the hammock people aren’t a Jeff Goldblum in “The Fly” situation where a failed science experiment left them fused with a housefly (but you know, a hammock instead of a fly). Nor are they some mysterious group of tree people that call hammocks their home. Rather, the hammock people are students who set up their hammocks in the trees near Miller Fountain to just chill and stuff. It’s sort of hard to see exactly what they do because the hammocks make them look like a burrito suspended off the ground.

10. The people swearing to themselves in Waldo Library

This is something you see more around finals, but if you are in Waldo Library any time around the end of the semester you’ll probably hear some stressed out student having a mental breakdown. The mental breakdown could be shown in sighs, cries, or swearing that is usually under the breath. Sometimes, though, you’ll be lucky enough to come across someone really having a bad day and they’ll be audibly swearing, loud enough for several people to hear. This is one of the most common types of person you will run into at Western Michigan University.