Entering the UC Merced campus and turning onto Scholars Lane, students saw, in this order, large cow pastures surrounding the campus, tall chainlink fences enclosing construction materials, orange fences stating "limits of construction," and across the small road, the residence facilities. Students who were willing to brave this combination of undeveloped land, partially built campus facilities, and small but promising services soon earned a reputation as the pioneers. These pioneers probed the unknown and helped establish much of what UC Merced is today. This chapter provides an insight into the experiences that shaped student careers at UC Merced during that first semester and many of the challenges that UC Merced students, staff, and faculty faced. (Contains 3 figures.)