A graphic demonstrating staring. (Courtesy of Judith Johnson)
Alexia: Hi! I’m Alexia Bailey, a freshman here at CU Boulder. While I may just be getting started, I’m here to share everything I’ve picked up so far, which is a surprising amount of information. “What’s eating at Alexia” is my unofficial and unfiltered guide to some of the things that being a CU Boulder Buff brings. Think of it as your guide to navigating everything that makes CU Boulder, well, CU Boulder. Whether you’re a freshman finding your footing or a senior with “no body, no crime” level grievances about finals week, I’m here to share my takes, tips and honest observations on everything from the sometimes-unpredictable Buff Bus system to navigating campus protests (or dodging them entirely). College is a wild, unforgettable ride, and “What’s eating at Alexia” is here to make sense of some of it, one opinion at a time.
There’s nothing quite like walking to class in the morning—the crisp autumn air, freshly dusted snow on the Flatirons in the distance, a WeatherTech coffee warming your hand and… being weirdly stared at by random people.
This, my friends, is the real epidemic at the University of Colorado Boulder: staring. I’m not talking about an occasional glance; I’m talking full-on deer-in-the-headlights staring. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the Buff Bus, grabbing lunch at the University Memorial Center or just walking aimlessly around campus — getting stared at seems to be the new normal. Now, if you’re doing something outside the ordinary, like wearing a Halloween costume to your giant lecture hall, carrying around a giant inflatable swan or if you are like me and wearing bright pink cat-covered pajama pants at the Center for Community, that’s fair game. But what’s going on here is something entirely else.
The Staring Epidemic doesn’t hit the upperclassmen quite like it hits the freshmen. With the freshman, the epidemic spreads faster than the dreaded “Frat Flu.” When people are new to an environment, they stare at whatever seems different to help orient themselves. Just think about it. In horror movies, the more you see the villains, the less scary they get. Freshmen seem to be applying this thought all over the CU Boulder campus, hoping that if they stare long enough, the people and places here will seem less intimidating.
I get it; in fact, I’m one of them. As a freshman myself, I more than understand the confusion, the sense of awe and even the pit-in-your-stomach anxiety that can come from navigating a campus this big. At first, it feels like you need to stare at everything and everyone just to make sense of it all. You are in a new environment and it’s completely natural. But look, we’re nearing the end of the fall semester, folks! By now, we should be able to find our way without gawking at every passerby. It’s starting to get a little out of hand.
People can normally tell when they are being stared at. The phenomenon is called “gaze detection.” I went to one of the most populous places on campus, the C4C, to test out this phenomenon myself. My results were clear: the more you stare at someone, the more likely they are to detect that you are staring. According to the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, we can use “cues to tell when someone is looking at us in our peripheral vision.”
It goes like this: while your calculus homework only becomes scarier the longer you stare at it, campus life has the opposite effect. Professors, upperclassmen and even other freshmen become less intimidating with time. But just because you’re getting used to a new environment doesn’t mean you have to stare openly at the person trying to write an essay at Norlin Library. At that point, it’s not about getting comfortable; it’s just awkward.
There’s a reason we’re taught not to stare. It makes people uncomfortable! Staring is instinctively associated with a threat, so it’s no wonder that being on the receiving end feels unsettling. We’re lucky enough to be part of a campus that celebrates diversity, individuality and creativity. There’s a huge variety of fashion, unique styles and self-expression here. CU Boulder is a colorful, giant community, and there truly is a place for everyone here. However, part of maintaining that sense of community is respecting people’s space and not making them feel like they’re under the spotlight for just being themselves and going about their daily lives.
I know the impulse to stare can be strong. There’s just so much to take in, and CU Boulder is like a giant kaleidoscope of personalities, each more interesting than the next. But maybe, instead of full-on staring, we can try something a little less intense. I’m talking about a quick glance or a friendly nod if you happen to make eye contact. It’s about finding that balance between curiosity and respect.
Now, I’m not saying you should stare at the ground or bury your face in your phone while you walk; that’s a guaranteed way to get run over by one of CU Boulder’s many surprisingly fearless bike riders. I’m just asking that we all remember a lesson our parents hopefully taught us: don’t stare at strangers. So next time you feel the urge to gawk, maybe appreciate the scenery instead. The Flatirons, after all, are a beautiful sight this time of year. And last I checked, they don’t mind being stared at one bit.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Alexia Bailey at alexia.bailey@colorado.edu.
