Kristy Moua, An Augsburgian  

During this past 2019-2020 school year, Augsburg University has been filled with tons of events due to the Sesquicentennial Celebration. Being around for 150 years called for many anticipated events and new beginnings hosted by the university itself. In the fall, the exquisite and quite unaffordable Gala was hosted. The only way for general students at Augsburg could go is if they paid for the $500 admission ticket, which many were unable to attend because of the expense. But even though the gala was not financially inclusive to the whole student body, those who attended definitely had a wonderful night. To continue, the Admissions Office broke some barriers this year. The office is no longer asking for ACT scores to be required. With that, this year has had the largest incoming first year students ever, letting in around 900 individuals has been an astonishing move. The more people to celebrate the Sesquicentennial the better. Meanwhile, Residence Life has been handling the overpopulation of students and with the fact that there is barely any space. In Mortensen Hall, some rooms had to have five students in one living space, which will most likely continue onto next year and beyond. 

Although the fall semester has been through many achievements and new changes already, this spring semester has really brought things to full circle to the Sesquicentennial Celebration. Many students were looking forward to traveling abroad for the spring semester or spring break, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has been canceled. In one travel abroad case, the Spring Break Seminar: Asian American Identities in New York was canceled three days before the trip. Also in correlation with the Asian community on campus, the Asian Cultural Show was canceled three hours before the show. In general, all events from all departments and organizations have been canceled. Commencement, Augsburg’s 12th Traditional Powwow, the 150th Sesquicentennial play, and banquets for student organizations are canceled, but the student body can count on the Leadership Awards to still go on with it moving to a live webcast. With live webcasts, Augsburg classes have taken a turn to go online and on Zoom. Furthermore, students on campus have been moving out earlier than ever before, leaving their residential spaces in a dash. In conclusion, it has been a memorable year at Augsburg University and the Sesquicentennial is a year to remember.