A few weeks ago U.S. News & World Report again named Saint Louis University a “best-buy” among the nation’s Universities, which is like getting braces. It is good to have, but not for too long. The University cannot suffer through another few years known merely as a bargain.

Fr. Biondi has said his goal is to make SLU the best Jesuit University in the country. Some may wonder, reasonably, how “Nancy” (a.k.a. the “Reclining Female”) furthered this goal. But aside from that benign flirtation with naughtiness, Biondi is doing what needs to be done. The renovations of dorms, the acquisition of apartments, the construction of a student union-these projects influence freshmen as much as quality academics, and if the administration dismisses them, discerning freshmen will dismiss us.

However, lest the passion for improvement induce the temptation to replace the clocktower with “Nancy Meets John,” here are a few suggestions more savory.

First, build a better bookstore. The edifice we have now, audaciously euphemized a Barnes and Noble, is inadequate. If you believe our bookstore is reflective of a top school, go to Washington University. Among its imposing selection of philosophy, history, current affairs, theology, literature and biography, the bookstore sells dozens of magazines and scholarly quarterlies like “The Public Interest” and “Foreign Affairs.” It is roughly 30 times the size of SLU’s seven (is it eight?) shelves, so you will have no trouble finding something by your favorite conservative author. If you are planning to transfer to Washington University and desire a sense of the spirit on campus, their bookstore has plenty of Marx. Grandest of all, of the seven days of the week, coffee is sold seven days.

Second, purge the campus of the dreadful “College Network.” It is less useful than a migraine. It also is insulting: the implication is that students enjoy Britney Spears or that they require a brief break from seriousness. Piffle. Students want no such thing. If the school is going to place TVs in dining areas, it should, as is done in the Busch Memorial Center, be properly American and leave the decisions to the will of the people. If it should be shown the will of the people is MTV over CNN, the will of the people is wrong.

Third, the food.

Fourth, the food.

The fifth thing pertains to academics, and it is no secret. If aesthetic and structural enhancements are not coupled with a pursuit to attract the most talented professors and students, the University will wilt in national rankings. Fortunately, the school teems with brilliant professors and Jesuits, and no deficiency appears to cripple the faculty. The students as well remain sufficiently thoughtful to sell the school as a fecund ground for producing scholars; although, let us not be too prudish to say there is room for improvement.

Saying we want to become the best Jesuit University might seem similar to saying we want oxygen. What’s to dispute?

Two things, actually.

A dispiriting facet of the University’s rise in reputation lies in what the school may do to maintain the upward momentum. The University may sacrifice its Catholicism. A strong, overt Catholicity is a deterrent to many high school seniors who presume that a muscular religiosity injures academics.

The same impression slithers through the national media and popular sentiment. Since “diversity” is now a cardinal virtue in academia, any school asserting one idea superior to all others is destined to receive recriminations in the form of fewer applicants or bad press. Over the next five to 10 years Biondi’s most delicate, most difficult and most watched task will be how he balances the seduction of national glory with the imperatives of his and the school’s Catholicism.

The second problem, in a word, is money. All of the country’s top schools cost at least $30,000 dollars a year. The College of the Holy Cross (the best Jesuit school in the country) costs over $30,000 a year, as does Georgetown. Is there any reason to think Saint Louis University will not eventually cost as much? No.

Biondi and the board of trustees wield the sharpest sword of authority, but some obstacles to the school’s success are beyond their reach. The University, despite the rehabilitation of the immediate area, still lies in a community in which it is unsafe to walk two blocks off campus at night. Moreover, the absence of restaurants in the vicinity is a discouraging contrast compared to what Washington University has with the Loop. But these shortcomings should not cause too many tears because Notre Dame is even more removed from entertainment and we see how terrible that has been for their reputation.

Anyway, it is time to address-we are all adults-the gravest matter of all: The food.

Matt Emerson is a sophomore studying political science.