Welcome back to SLU, folks! Those of us with the UNews welcome you back and wish you all a prosperous semester and all that jazz.
Since it is the UNews’ first issue after the break, we decided that we would publish our own set of resolutions. Rather than putting our personal resolutions, although it would undoubtedly be funnier if we did, we came up with several school-wide resolutions that we can all apply to our next semester at SLU.
Our first resolution has to do with polar vortex that hit St. Louis and just about everyone else and the resulting destruction and chaos that afflicted SLU. The first floor of Griesedieck was flooded with over an inch of water. That wasn’t even the worst part. The pipes of Anderson Hall in the Village Apartments burst in the midst of the frigid temperatures, causing all of the rooms in that hall to be damaged to such an extent that the tenets of Anderson Hall were forced to relocate on campus.
The most disappointing aspect of this saga is that it could all be avoided by a little forethought by SLU and its contractors. Apparently, the piping on the third floor of Anderson Hall was not insulated, causing the pipes to be more susceptible to freezing and subsequent bursting.
Under normal winter weather conditions, such a design decision would likely cause no problems, but the worst happened and now there are likely hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to pay for. In the future, we hope SLU will take more consideration into incurring costs now, lest they risk paying the greater costs later.
Our second resolution for SLU is for a more school-spirited student body. SLU’s men’s basketball team is on its way for its third NCAA tournament in as many years, and yet their success is not translated into filling the student section every game. However, we’d also like to see a greater interest from the student body in other SLU events as well. SLU students and organizations offer a bounty of great events that deserve some SLU pride. This school spirit also means getting more involved on campus. There are over one hundred organizations on campus, and there are hopefully several that can interest every Billiken on this campus.
Our third resolution is to get out of SLU every once in a while. We are all aware of the feeling: being stuck at SLU each day in the same routine. It’s time for everyone to take some time out of the week to treat your self or to give to others.
Our fourth resolution goes out to the folks that send these long reports regarding SLU’s presidential search. While SLU students should be interested in the proceedings, these long reports make such a task slightly more difficult. As well as a longer report, we’d also like to see an abridged version of important events at SLU, giving accessibility to all and greater access to those that want to learn more.
A fifth and almost final resolution is to take more attention to events that may or may not matter to you, but nonetheless affect many people. While we’ve also said that the university could stand to cut down the size of news bits in the university, it is extremely important, regardless of major, that as SLU students we become more well-rounded by being well read.
Now, this doesn’t mean read the New York Times front to back every day. It does mean picking a topic that interests you and challenging yourself to learn more. You were in Madrid last semester and was peeved that all the garbage workers had gone on strike and wreaked a stench upon the city? Read about it!
Challenge yourself in more ways than academics (although pay attention to your studies as well) and enjoy yourself fully this semester!
