Hillsdale grads, welcome home

Home Opinion Hillsdale grads, welcome home

Welcome back, alumni. We undergraduates, still subject to the pressures of academia and avoiding the pressures of adulthood, look forward to receiving word from the outside world.

Soon, graduated friends and teammates will return to us and we will get to see how life outside of Hillsdale is treating those in whose steps we now tread.

Once a Hillsdale student, always a Hillsdale student; and we celebrate our (admittedly odd) continuity of character by sharing stories of old times on campus and new experiences since leaving it. The communities that spring up and friendships that develop on our wee campus are a vital part of our education. And meeting alumni allows us to better understand our heritage and pass it, in time, to younger classes.

But not all of last year’s alumni made their visit particularly pleasant.

Sigma Chi had issues with alumni getting out of hand at its house. Similarly, the Ice House on Fayette and Park streets was trashed, with parts of its porch left broken.These were not isolated instances.

Graduates, we look forward to having fun catching up with you all, but we also ask you to respect campus. While you will always be graduates of Hillsdale, you’re not students any more. We live and work here. You don’t.

It’s important for athletes, clubs, Greeks, and friend groups to reunite, and there are increased efforts to foster these relationships and celebrate campus landmarks during homecoming. For instance, Delta Sigma Phi marks its 100th year on campus, the Tower Light will celebrate 60, and the 1985 NAIA national championship football team will return for a reunion.

Seeing the success and hearing the stories of our predecessors post-graduation reminds us why the challenges are worthwhile.

The legacy we receive as freshmen and pass on as seniors will be affirmed this weekend through class reunions, an alumni awards banquet, and an alumni shoot at the Hillsdale range. The college is even bringing in Fox News contributor and 2010 graduate Kat Timpf to entertain alumni on Friday.

We can’t wait to share this all with you.

So let us know where you’ve been. We’re glad to have you here, because our campus would be incomplete without the perspective you provide. But please, leave campus complete.