Chad Tew, associate professor of online journalism, excitedly waited in the Traditions Lounge at the top of the cone for the clock to turn 2:22 p.m. on 2/22/22.

Not only was it Tuesday, but Tew said it was “Tew’s” day. When the clock struck 2:22 p.m. on the laptop to the right of Tew, he laughed and grinned.

He said, “Andy Warhol said everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. This is my minute of fame.”

Drinks ordered from GrubHub were lined up along the counter at the campus Starbucks with not a student in sight. An employee walked over to the entryway fridge to pull a gallon of milk out of the fridge. 

Just as it was 2:22 p.m., the employee drops the gallon of milk. The splash of the milk hit the tile floor, but only four students were there to hear it. The employee said, “We’re gonna need some towels.”

The first floor of the David L. Rice Library was silent except for the soft ticking of two mounted clocks and the occasional whir of the printer. Students were working quietly, hunched over tables covered corner to corner in study materials. 

As students passed by the library entrance, the door slid open and shut, over and over, but nobody walked through the doors. Near the end of the minute, a student urgently approached the counter, requested a mask and was back on his way. 

Varuna Dhanabal, a sophomore biochemistry major, washed her chemical bottles out during a quantitative analysis chemistry lab. Dhanabal had just finished week two of her spectrophotometric analysis of aspirin lab.

The Quad was yellow and muddy on this rainy day. It was mostly empty except for a few students walking outside. Two students crossed outside of the David L. Rice Library: one walked towards the University Center and one went left to Chick-fil-A.

Jill Oeding, assistant professor of business law, pointed to her example about legal options on the white board in the Business Engineering Center Room 003. She proposed a hypothetical situation where a customer offers a seller $5000 to wait a week to sell them a limited $400,000 machine. The seller agrees. 

She asked the class, “Does the seller have a legal obligation to not sell the machine in the week?” Students in the class shrugged and didn’t give an answer. She passionately said, “Yes, an offer is like a contract.”

Kaitlin Sanders, a junior business administration major, took notes on Oeding’s example. After she finished writing the example down, she lowered her mask and took a drink out of the McDonalds sweet tea she brought to class with her. 

The parking lot in front of O’Bannon residence halls was entering its quiet state as more and more students were walking back exhausted from a long school day. Some cars were still drifting in and out, but most of the lot was empty except for those who live on campus. 

The sidewalks are beginning to dry up last night’s rain that cooled the temperature down.

Kylie Hicks, a sophomore nursing major, was studying on the second floor of the David L. Rice Library. She was studying for her upcoming nursing health assessment course. 

Hicks put on a brave face even though she was deeply stressed for her nursing exams. 

“I am feeling very stressed and not very confident, but I plan to study all week,” she said. “Hopefully my confidence will rise, and I will feel prepared to take the test before Tuesday.”

A student shifts uncomfortably in his classroom, staring at a half-full water bottle. He averts his gaze, only to come face-to-face with a half-full soda bottle. There were twenty minutes left in class, and he really had to use the bathroom. 

Bohan Ye, assistant professor of economics, was taking a survey of her students’ opinions on whether they think it is a good idea for governments to control prices as she has been teaching about price ceilings for the past half hour.

Some students look engrossed in their notetaking; however, most are leaned forward in their seats and have an ambiguous look on their face, either from confusion or boredom.

The third floor of the David L. Rice Library is home to the usual silent chaos, and this minute was no exception. The third floor was a place where three individuals met to study. Each were within their own chaotic worlds. 

The sound of clicking keys and the voice of a math professor interrupts the peace of the silence. Other students were outside, walking in distress with their heads down, annoyed at the bipolar weather. 

Adriana Garcia, president of the student board of directory for Sodexo, was being interviewed on the third floor of the O’Bannon Hall about meal plans and dining options on campus. She discussed how Sodexo implements student feedback, how the food in The Loft has improved and of course, pudding. 

A student sat in her apartment trying to find ways to pass time before she goes and meets her mom for dinner later in the day. She could be cleaning her apartment or working on her group document that’s due tomorrow in her COMM 221 class, but the distractions won against her as she binge watched Fantasy High. 

She was three episodes away from completing the first season.

Chick-fil-A sat emptier and quieter than normal.

The bright lights beamed down on a few students who sat together studying. Their quiet conversation and the ruffling of students passing through the building was all the room had to offer. The minute passed just like any other. 

The sounds of a false air conditioner permeates The Shield newsroom. The newsroom sits empty except for one as The Shield team was scattered across campus to document USI at 2:22 p.m. on Feb. 22, 2022.