2 am.
Is it still nighttime? Is it really morning? 2am exceeds a familiar time frame that our structured society can speak about with confidence. No one considers it in either category, but can it be both? College is similar to that transitionary period. It marks the culmination of years of study for some, yet the beginning of "the real world" where people get up in the morning and work all day. Within this state of liminality there exist multiple layers loosely organized to define the existence of it.
Take for example the college experience. Traditionally there are four stages, freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year. These are archaic names that no longer fit into the scheme of a university program. Students are no longer bound by these stereotypes as some skip the first year entirely and enter as a sophomore, others choose to extend their learning experience and stay for more than the prescribed years, and still others will never leave!
2am is only a measure of time. It carries with it the social experiences that society has engrained upon it. A time of quiet. A time of rest. There are other factors, however, that proceed to challenge preconceived notions. A time that is usually null and void of activity is turned upside down when combined with another transitory arena. Rice University incorporates that environment on a different level. The combination of a time with a locale that fosters this in-betweeness is seldom explored or appreciated. College is where this time exists. We bring you 2 am @ Rice.