Tuesday night I was running around campus, reporter’s notebook in hand, pen behind my ear and journalistic endeavors at heart (I hope this paints a clear Rory Gilmore/Carl Bernstein picture of me in your mind). I was overwhelmed and exhausted with the prospects of finals week, impending adulthood and a grave lack of sleep.

But then something happened.

As I was rushing from the AMU to Starbucks in order to obtain that beautiful caffeinated substance that has sustained the lives of busy, stressed people for thousands of years, I heard a noise. Behind me, a fellow student let out a quiet “yeeeeeeeeow!” I have no idea what happened to make him so excited, but his friend egged him on. “Dude, do it louder, see if anyone hears.”

Of course someone heard. This time, his yelp reverberated around West Towne Square and through the open windows of McCormick Hall. Sure enough, within seconds, he had a response. From what sounded like a women’s floor, a higher-pitched yell sounded a reply to my friend. It had begun.

He yelped.

She yelped.

He yelped again.

She replied.

The group of people on the ground outside were all laughing hysterically, myself included. More McCormick residents had joined in the Twilight Bark.

As I stood there in the glow of the light posts from the Union and McCormick, lights on the Christmas tree twinkled and a crisp breeze blew around me, ushering out the warmth that had been with us in Milwaukee since the weekend.

I was once one of those freshmen. Though I did not live in McCormick, I definitely spent a night or two yelping out the window as I studied with friends … or did other things. No matter what people are doing in that legendary dorm, yelling out the window (or pelting people with water balloons from an upper floor), is part of the Marquette experience.

I smiled to myself as I continued my journey up 16th Street. I thought, “Only at Marquette.” There are many things I will miss about this university and many I will not, but little things like that remind me of how much I have come to love my school over the past four years.