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The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Letter to the Editor: SLU students should be proud of their university

SLU is anything but stagnant, and the acquisition of the new law school building is just the most recent example of how SLU is dedicated to improving its third-tier ranked programs. The plan for the SLUCare surgery center was also about improving both academics and health care, just as much as it was about business, as training the best future physicians requires learning the newest procedures in a state-of-the-art facility.

The relatively-new Doisy Research Center is also about improving SLU as an academic institution, as copious cutting-edge research publications increase national recognition. Take a look at Wash U. Even Chaifetz Arena and the new track will help make SLU a more academically-competitive school. An outstanding athletics program will increase our national attention, which will increase SLU’s number of applicants. Take a look at Butler.

An increased number of applicants means that SLU can be more selective in the acceptance process, thus taking in smarter students and enhancing our status as an academic institution. Hotel Ignacio may be entirely about business, but when Biondi brings prospective donors to campus, I would sure prefer them to stay at Hotel Ignacio than the Water Tower Inn if it means donations such as a new law school building.

If we want SLU to be a top-ranked university, we, as students, need to change our attitude. The annual U.S. News ranking system involves a survey for graduating students. Positive responses on that survey incredibly help the school’s ranking. Attitude, not funding allocation, is one of the biggest differences I see between SLU and Wash U: ALL the students at Wash U seem to think their school is the best. SLU students definitely don’t have that attitude.

 

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Sincerely,

Theodore Kremer

 

– Theodore Kremer is a first-year student in the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

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  • W

    Washington IrvingFeb 9, 2012 at 3:50 am

    SassyGayBilliken has hit the nail on the head. It isn’t that Wash-u is any more innocent, but SLU has an incredible chance to do good by its neighbors and time and time again it just absolutely doesn’t.

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  • S

    Smeg HeadFeb 8, 2012 at 3:16 pm

    I went to a top ranked school for my undergrad, so I have a decent baseline to make a comparative assessment of our school. Here it is: SLU will never be a top ranked university, because it doesn’t foster an atmosphere of academic freedom. No amount of money can solve that problem. End of story.

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  • S

    SassyGayBillikenFeb 5, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    Oh! We should most certainly be proud of a university that has displaced the poor in order to expand it’s campus. Look at the urban renewal time period of Saint Louis, and you will find the university a major player in the usage or eminent domain and TIFF grants to grab up huge parcels of property.

    Should we truly be proud of Chaifetz? Look into your history and speak to the employees who were “laid off” in order to help finance the arena that has been less successful than anticipated and draining the resources.

    If SLU is so great why are we trying to raze historical properties that are part of the tapestry of Saint Louis’s evolution? Why have we continually purchase land and raise tuition for almost four straight years in a row? If were so great why not put a freeze on our building plans in order to take care of the staff and faculty here at SLU by giving them raises instead of freezing their salaries? If SLU is so great why does the administration continually refuse to look at the issue of student housing.

    Now listen SLU has does some good things yes, but to simply say we should be proud and not take a look at the history of the issues is ignorance at its best, and the work of the administration to get you to ignore the very dark background we’ve evoked to achieve “success.”

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