Welcome back to The Other Side ladies and gentlemen! Whether you are a freshman, junior or senior at our university, you must be familiar with our party location on campus, TOS, aka The Other Side. For years, this has been the location where most of our best memories are made, best dance moves are flaunted and probably where we meet our closest friends on campus. With differently themed parties every other week and highly spirited students, throughout your journey at Jacobs, TOS becomes the place to be whenever you want to let loose and simply have a good time accompanied by your fellow peers.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of Spring 2020, the global circumstances due to the ongoing pandemic resulted in multiple social events on campus getting canceled, TOS lounge nights and parties included. But fear not, as we are halfway through the Fall semester and inevitably, time progresses and as we all know, things only get better with time. With the COVID-19 restrictions slowly unwinding, campus has regained some of its most important yearly events, and with that, I can proudly - and very excitedly- announce that TOS has reopened as well, with a bit of a twist. Over the summer, the Campus Life crew actively worked on remodeling and reinventing the TOS concept for the new academic year, in order to cater to the new life and circumstances we are all living under. After all, in times of hardship, as Bear Grylls once said, we must improvise, adapt and overcome.
Step one to adapting in the middle of a global pandemic: abstand. The reinvented TOS concept is one allowing for a healthy maintenance of distance. Rather than the usual crowded club type ambience, TOS has implemented more of a chill, coffeehouse vibe, with the addition of coffee tables and comfy couches where up to 5 people can be seated at each table, a different perspective to the genres of music being played has been adopted, and instead of waiting ten minutes in line for a drink, you simply have to request your order from someone in the Campus Life crew, and it will be brought straight to you. I mean, it’s kind of as if you were at Costa Café, but in the evening and you know everyone else there, plus you’re a few meters away from your room. How could that get any better?!
In a conversation with Asna Faruki (PSYCH, Class of 2021) and Kopo Keaikitse (IRPH, Class of 2022), they shared: “I feel that the reopening has been successful because it provides the student body with an opportunity to catch up and hang out with their friends on weekend nights in a fun yet safe way” to which Kopo added “As winter quickly approaches, I don’t see myself leaving campus too often so this is just what I needed!” So, if you’re in the mood to chill with a few friends, have a warm cup of tea or a chilled beverage, play board games, read a magazine or book somewhere away from your room or college, I would say TOS is still the place to be. Open on Fridays and Saturdays between 8 and 10:30pm, feel free to stop by with your semester ticket, campus card and of course a mask to ensure a trouble-free entrance. With that, I wish you all a safe and enjoyable time at our favorite spot on campus. Once again, welcome back!
BY LARISSA MASSAMBY (MOZAMBIQUE) | CLASS OF 2021
