Editorial: 2008 a year of change for nation and St. Joe's

"Change" was the catchphrase of the 2008 election season, but the word came into play here at Saint Joseph's University as well. This year, an extremely ambitious vision for the university, which has been in play for years, finally came to fruition with the start of construction in Campion and the Fieldhouse, along with the official acquisition and opening of the Maguire Campus. These ambitions, however, were met with unfavorable economic tides, and disunity amongst the student body over issues of race, culture, and gender, created a tense - but healthy - atmosphere in which our longstanding traditions and recently implemented plans were tested, and, ultimately, improved upon. This semester was one of enormous challenges - both internal and external - and the university will improve because of them.

Overall, changes made by the administration have been incredibly positive. The recent management of the financial situation has been commendable. The university has been admirably open about the loss of endowment funds, the necessity of a hiring freeze, and the impracticality of pursuing additional construction projects in the near future. Also, the recent announcement of the availability of funds to assist families in need of financial assistance demonstrates remarkable dedication to students and their educational experiences. While the economic crisis is putting great strain on everyone, Saint Joseph's University and its board are doing a great job of preparing for the unknown, creating plans for dealing with further budget cuts, and working to maintain the stability of faculty positions - all while announcing a goal of continued levels of educational and experiential performance for students.

The physical changes made to our campus have been beneficial as well. As much as the renovations of Campion have been criticized by some upperclassmen, this work reveals a desire to continue development and improvement of students' surroundings, a goal that we as students greatly appreciate. The acquisition of Maguire Campus reflects this same goal, and we hope that the developments and expansion there will continue to improve students' life. While further changes will not be made until there is greater economic stability, we believe that the eventual changes will be remarkable.

Environmental changes on campus are also admirable. Campion has incrementally reduced its carbon footprint by cutting its use of Styrofoam dinnerware, plastic silverware, and paper serving pieces by switching to reusable products. Also, as part of the efforts to cut costs around campus, the university has been encouraging individuals to cut energy consumption, especially during breaks; this change in official policy about energy conservation can definitely create greater positive change.

However, we find that the general culture on campus does not reflect this same dedication to positive improvement. As the student population grows here, we seem to be experiencing types of "growing pains," as the existing social problems and new ones are seen at the forefront. The student culture remains socially segregated from one another on many fronts, divided across many lines. As most notably evidenced by the recent incident involving racist and sexist graffiti in McShain, students on this campus are not as open or progressive as they may purport to be. We as students need to develop an atmosphere of greater acceptance and openness with one another.

Overall, dialogues on campus that are started on campus tend to lack authenticity. While efforts by Residence Life, staff members, and other university institutions to encourage discussions about diversity are admirable, student reaction has been negligible. This reaction reflects a general trend of student apathy. While there are many great things happening on campus, it seems that the same small percentage of students continue to do most of the work. A large portion of students need to pick up the slack and make improvements to the campus atmosphere themselves, get more involved in already existing programs, and become generally active in order to make this campus their own.

We do find the recent responses designed to overcome this apathy noteworthy or effective. Students with strong political leanings demonstrated a greater dedication to activism this semester, as evidenced by the larger presence of individuals encouraging voting as well as invitations of political speakers to campus. However, the consistent visibility of only one political party demonstrates a need for more individuals from a variety of political and cultural backgrounds to voice their opinions actively. In addition to national and state politics, our own University Student Senate needs to be re-examined for its limiting requirements and largely ineffectual mandates. The actions of Steven Robinson, '10, in attempting to run for Student Body President to protest the limited Senate competition and involvement was an admirable demonstration of willingness to become more involved in a generally closed process.

The administration and students of St. Joseph's University should come away from this year satisfied with the work that they've accomplished, but inspired to meet the tests of the future. While the university is certainly moving in the right direction, it is a progress that is not guaranteed.We must continue to learn from our successes and mistakes.

The Hawk Staff