Cautious Gratitude

Thanks, Temple.

More than 4,200 students will receive diplomas next Thursday, a group of accomplished individuals who will celebrate their graduations during Temple’s 125th year. Those graduating have some thanking to do, but we depart Temple with some concerns.

For those who have been here for at least four years, we’ve witnessed some monumental changes at the school we’ve been proud to call home. With some adjustments, Temple brought in additional resources to make our college experience unforgettable.

For those graduating, we are the last generation of Owls to remember Curtis Hall at 13th Street and Montgomery Avenue or to know that the computer lab in Paley Library was the largest on campus in 2005 – and included dot matrix printing.

Johnson and Hardwick residence halls didn’t have air conditioning just four short years ago.

The entire south end of the Howard Gittis Student Center neared completion at the end of 2005, and administrators attempted to eliminate the incorrectly termed “SAC” from students’ vocabularies.

It’ll always be known as the “SAC.”

Alter Hall and the Tyler School of Art building were nearing their groundbreakings but were still figments of our imaginations in 2006.

The TECH Center opened in January 2006 and attracts thousands of visitors a day, boasting itself as the largest computer lab of its kind in the nation.

However, with any large institution, perfection is hard to achieve.

Over the past few years, students have endured countless construction projects, which provided some eyesores for a few months.

Three years ago yesterday, Ann Weaver Hart was elected president of Temple. She brought a positive energy to campus, but her short tenure has seen bitter contract negotiations between the university and two of its unions.

Another complaint many have is the visibility of Hart on campus. Former President David Adamany occasionally ate lunch in the Johnson & Hardwick cafeteria, and many say Hart is nowhere to be found. More transparency and visibility from the administration would be a welcomed attribute.

Temple has taken strides to accommodate students’ needs in the past few years. But a good university is more than the bricks and mortar that comprise its buildings.

The people are what differentiate a great university from an exemplary one. A majority of Temple students aren’t apathetic – they take pride in knowing the inner workings of the university. This is why it’s disturbing to see the conflict but not fully understand the exact parameters defining it.

Temple provides a phenomenal educational experience, and every student should be appreciative for the resources provided. We hope the university realizes that without a content staff and an informed student body, such a phenomenon may disappear.