Welcome to Hillsdale College, Class of 2028! In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a giant hole at the center of your new home. 

The construction on the quad is an eyesore. It’s frustrating to walk the fenced-off perimeter of an area that used to be beautiful and accessible. It’s unfortunate to lose a place to sit down with friends or with a book on a nice day. It’s unfair that many students will forfeit some of the aesthetic, accessibility, and comfort of Hillsdale College for a cause they may not even ever participate in personally. 

There is, however, a way to see the “eyesore” as a blessing. Not only is it a humbling statement about the greater work and purpose of the college, but it reminds students that Hillsdale has existed for more than a century and will continue to exist long after we are gone. Previous Hillsdale students sacrificed for the current campus landscape and future Hillsdale students will continue the tradition. College President Larry Arnn often says the college is a “partnership.” This Hillsdale partnership stretches across generations. It makes more sense to think that we are partaking in construction, growth, and change rather than enduring it. 

Hillsdale College is not and has never been about a single set of four years, taking as much as one can from the campus before they go out into the world to take a little more. Hillsdale College ought to facilitate four years during which students learn how to give, and how to give up, for the sake of benefits that they may never see while here on Earth. 

So go ahead and complain, but don’t forget to be grateful.