In the coming weeks, the Spring 2007 semester will be coming to a close, and The Quad will be taking a warm-weather hiatus until next fall.A lot has happened since the middle of January and yet, it feels the semester has just begun. After introducing the new Op-ed section, we editorialized about our I.T. Department, and their inability to locate a network flaw that left students and faculty without Internet access for days.
Aramark was next and we captured the essence of how most students feel about WCU’s one and only foodservice provider. Shortly after the piece ran, we noticed slightly shorter wait times in Sykes.
We also wrote about conditions after an ice storm that left the University prone to countless slip-and-fall lawsuits. The next winter storm was greeted with much more aggression and our walkways were treated immediately.
At the beginning of April, we wrote about the messages that our own faculty were inscribing on our sidewalks with colored sidewalk chalk. Our editorial yielded a new message, directed to us, on the steps to Sykes: “Yo quad, fac contract expires, 6/30/07.” That message (thank you for it, by the way) was the last message we saw scribbled on campus. APSCUF and its members found better, more efficient and more mature ways to promote their cause and relay their message.
Finally, our editorial last week reflected upon the lessons we will hopefully learn from the horrific slayings that occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech. on April 16. We hope the University has heard our message and the message of many others and takes action now before a tragedy occurs on our campus.
Looking ahead, there is much more to write about. Between now and next semester, the University will be looking to finalize development plans that call for the demolition of Wayne, Schmidt, Sanderson, Ramsey and Tyson Halls. The project is anticipated to stretch over several years, with one or two residence halls being demolished during each summer.
Additionally, the current faculty contract does expire at the end of June. We stand behind our professors in their fight for a new contract, however, we urge them to always remember that they should, above all, be here for the students.
The Quad will stay on top of any new developments and updates will be available on our Web site, www.wcuquad.com.
Finally, October will mark the 75th anniversary of The Quad. The first issue, which featured a contest for students to name the publication, was published on October 21, 1932 by Editor-in-Chief Alvin B. Sweet. By the second issue, published on November 4, 1932, the paper was named Quad Angles, and a newspaper was born. This October, we will remember our predecessor, Quad Angles, by publishing original layout from 1932. Our paper has changed a lot, but our values have not. We look forward to celebrating 75 years as the student-run newspaper of West Chester University, and we hope to lead the way to another 75.