“FDOC,” or first day of classes, commenced with the annual University Student Government (USG) event on Jan. 27 on McCosh Walk with coffee, bagels, and photos to celebrate the beginning of the semester.
“It’s a tradition that’s continuously getting stronger,” USG President Enzo Kho ’26 said. Kho also explained that this tradition for the start of each semester began about nine years ago.
Although the event did not start until 8 a.m., students began arriving at 7:30 a.m. to get in line to have their photo taken with the “FDOC” banner, with seniors going to the “LFDOC” (last first day of classes), as this was their last undergraduate semester. Many waited in line for over an hour before posing for their pictures, with temperatures hovering around 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
“You’ll never get the opportunity to wait in a long line to take an ‘LFDOC’ picture again,” Jhonelle Moore ’25 told The Daily Princetonian. “I think it’s a beautiful tradition, and it was worth the wait.”
The event was co-planned by USG Chief of Staff Amy Park ’27 and USG Projects Manager Jeremy Bao ’27 and funded by the USG. The co-planners ordered 60 dozen bagels and 15 gallons of coffee, and the coffee supply finished within an hour.
Event planners and attendees alike expressed their shared appreciation for the event marking the start of their semesters.
“I’m really glad that we’re doing this kind of tradition,” Park said. “Students get motivated to wake up a little early … and meet with people that they haven’t seen on Winter break or summer break.”
“I just want to take a picture with all of my friends in one place, and later in the day, it’s impossible to get everyone situated in one place,” Jennifer Melo ’25 said.
Seniors felt particularly sentimental about their final semester at Princeton, and many reminisced about their time at the University while waiting in line.
“You know, this is a very emotional moment for me,” Melo told the ‘Prince.’ “It feels almost like a rite of passage in my lifetime journey. It’s been a dream of mine and my family’s my whole life to be the first to graduate [college].”
Devon Rudolph is an associate News editor and staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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