Appreciate the changes on campus

Home Opinion Appreciate the changes on campus

Because of the efforts on the part of the college administration and the gifts of college donors, many aspects of our everyday experience on this campus have improved vastly.

The college spent a lot of money this summer. $3.2 million went to upgrading Simpson Residence. About $3 million went to improving the Roche Sports Complex. $150,000 went to providing dorm Wi-Fi. Saga, Inc. was replaced with Bon Appétit, bringing higher-quality food to campus, a transition in which Bon Appétit is investing heavily.

That money wasn’t spent on donor parties, Imprimis marketing, or CCA guests. It went toward bettering the lives of students.

Is it true that these changes resulted in some unpleasant scenarios? Of course. Like all change, there’s some discomfort in building and growing. It’s part of the process. So, yes, Sigma Alpha Iota lost its house on Union Street. The college gave them another one. And yes, the Simpson lounge isn’t quite finished yet. The back porch parties can hold off for a while.

Some lines are longer during lunchtime. Maybe somebody has to grab a freshly-cooked, higher-quality burger instead of the higher-quality Asian stir-fry in order to make it to class on time. Maybe students will have to skip the freshly-cut and cleaned fruit and quickly make a sandwich from the new sandwich bar. As a student body, we’ve faced worse.

That’s not to say there aren’t problems or that there won’t continue to be problems. Every new thing has its drawback. But it’s easy to criticize. It’s a little harder to step back and appreciate the expenditure and effort that went into making our lives a little bit better.

So, let’s say ‘Thank you’ to Hillsdale College. Thank you for recognizing the aspects of campus life that needed improvement and working to better our collegiate experience. Thank you for giving us more to appreciate about our campus.