 "Photo: Miles Wisniewski")
Christmas commercials, holiday sales and classic jingles. Yes, it’s that time of year again — Thanksgiving is just around the corner. But before we Loyolans gorge our stomachs with hormonally injected Butterball meat, the editorial staff of The PHOENIX would like to remind everyone of the true “reason for the season,” (or at least the season that is seasonal, i.e. not Christmas) with the things we editors are most thankful for and least thankful for at Loyola.
Most thankful for…
1. Illinois state refunding for MAP grants — Although Loyola does boast active political student organizations, our campus is not really known for being adamant activists; however, Loyola’s strong presence in Illinois’ state capital on Oct. 15 certainly showed just how powerful student lobbying can be. Thanks to the busloads of Illinois college students, thousands of undergrads can be assured of their education come spring semester.
2. USGA’s proposal to switch from GroupWise to Gmail (see pg. 1) — Anyone who has used Loyola’s e-mail provider GroupWise knows that the program is anything but wise. How many times have you deleted message after message only to still be pestered by that 90 percent usage meter? With Gmail, Loyola students can take advantage of 7,391 MB of memory space, not to mention cool themes like “Ninja.”
3. Swine flu vaccines — It’s no secret that there is a nationwide shortage of swine flu vaccines, particularly among universities whose student populations are considered at high-risk of catching the illness. About 1,000 vaccinations have been given so far at Loyola with hopefully more shipments on the way.
4. Fran! — Who at Loyola doesn’t have a fond memory of Fran, the friendly lady who works at Simpson Dining? (If you don’t know who we’re talking about and would like a self-esteem boost, please visit Simpson Dining for breakfast or lunch, Mondays through Fridays.) Fran, you’re our love-baby.
5. The trees in the gravel lot near Sheridan and Loyola — We’re not sure if you remember a previous PHOENIX staff editorial in which we spoke about the Literacy Center being demolished and replaced with a gravel lot. The PHOENIX supported community members who wanted a bit less gravel and a lot more green. Thankfully, Loyola placed some trees in the gravel lot not too long after we published our editorial. But had they actually turned the eyesore of a lot into useful space, which they somehow failed to do, The PHOENIX would have definitely placed this event higher on our list of things to be thankful for.
Honorable mention:
Moustaches — For all the men, The PHOENIX would like to applaud all those fine moustaches we’re seeing on campus. For those of you who prefer beards, we say keep it classy — grow a stachey.
Least thankful for…
1. Crown Gallery closing — Loyola tends to make all of us angry every now and then but closing Crown Gallery at the end of Fall 2009 without an on-campus replacement for the senior exhibition in the spring has got to be the worst decision of the year. Loyola: Fail.
2. Loyola students’ alcohol and drug use — According to a Wellness Center survey, 50 percent of Loyola students report drinking heavily, consuming five or more drinks in one sitting. The survey also found that one in 10 students think they possibly have a drinking of illegal drug problem. This makes Loyola students more vulnerable to becoming victims or crime or committing public misconduct themselves. For your sake and those of everyone around you, The PHOENIX encourages all Loyolans to drink responsibly and possibly attend Alcoholic Anonymous or speak to a trusted individual if they think they need help.
3. Closing of Cudahy Library doors — For most universities, the library symbolizes a gateway to knowledge. At Loyola, however, there hasn’t even been a direct physical gateway to enter our library, which houses more than one million volumes and periodical subscriptions, ever since the university confined Cudahy’s entrance to the Information Commons in January. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Give us back our doors!
4. NCAA Horizon League rule change — The HL introduced a rule change this year requiring that only the six top-ranked teams can compete in the tournaments for women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. As a result, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball had their seasons cut early. We say that there are only 10 schools being represented in the league anyway, so why crush our hard-working athletes’ hopes and dreams?
5. The girl-guy ratio at Loyola — This one fact that Loyola seems to slip under the radar when attracting prospective students is a troublesome one for many of us — the disproportionate ratio of girls to guys. Save for the School of Business, which seems to be overwhelmingly attended by males, you can rest assured that straight guys will have way more eye candy in any class, leaving the females feisty as ever.
3 comments
2) I just shaved my mustache. I still have pictures on my facebook though of my glorious being.
3) Did Fran retire? I love Fran. I hate Simpson Dining though and that leads to less Fran sightings for me.
4) The Girl-to-Guy ratio at Loyola is fine. Perfect, actually. We just need a little bit more pig-men running around.
5) Yes, make a beautiful grand entrance to Cudahy (AFTER you re-inovate the Library)...I like to think that the closing of the Cudahy doors was a decision made with the health of students in mind, because extra walking is healthy.
6) "Crown Gallery closing" Yea, wtf Loyola? I think we need a building in the LSC that strictly houses art. Then the Rogers Park community would be a little more happy to see "least thankful for #2" stumbling about and screaming at their girlfriend.
7) How did you snub the fabled finish of the 5 year plan? This University has transformed into a beautiful little butterfly - but at what cost?
I just want a school email provider with more space. That's really my biggest issue. An Address book feature would be nice as well.