EDITORIAL

As the semester comes to a screeching halt and the New Year fast approaches, the Temple student body is left to reflect upon the events of the past months. For the freshmen and the first-semester transfer students, it was an unforgettable introduction to Temple. For the rest of us – the returning students who have already had a taste of what North Philadelphia has to offer – we came in thinking this would be just another Fall semester of just another academic year.

September gave us yet another housing shortage and another crop of disgruntled students who found themselves stacked like pancakes on top of each other. We came nacl to find SAC under construction. Taco Bell and Burger King were gone and replaced with clear plastic sheeting marking where renovations were underway.

Last year we said goodbye to Peter Liacouras, but not before renaming the Apollo after him. In September we welcomed David Adamany as our new president with a celebration at the Bell Tower complete with free hamburgers and soda.

October began with an ugly start when a Temple student was shot outside White Hall. Not since last year’s stabbing of Elmarko Jackson, had we questioned safety on campus. In the same month, the world watched the canonization of Philadelphia native Katharine Drexel.

Much to the dismay of die-hard men’s basketball fans, the policy regarding season tickets was changed from assigned seating at home games to general seating. The news left a bad taste in the mouths of students who slept out on Broad Street turning Morning Madness into something resembling Morning Angst.

Early November. Election Day. Students and non-students alike cast their votes in the first presidential election of the new century – an election that would be completely unprecedented; an election that would drag itself well into December through a series of lawsuits and recounts. The fiasco that is the presidential election still leaves the country wondering who the next president will be and will we be satisfied with the answer?

Temples beloved point guard Pepe Sanchez was picked up by the 76ers. Not too long ago, the Wu Tang Clan’s Ol’ Dirty Bastard was arrested in a Philadelphia McDonald’s on a parole violation

A bomb scare in the Architecture/Engineering building, as well as Gladfelter Hall, kept students out of classes nearly all day. For policemen and teacher, the episode proved to be a fiasco, but for students with classes and exams that day, it was a blessing.

This semester has tested our convictions and our ability to stand by our convictions. Certain events unraveled causing some of us to question ourselves and the world around us. Some of us learned to have tolerance for the mistakes of others as well as out own, but most importantly, many of us learned the important lesson of humility.

The past months have showed us the impression we can leave on others with a single remark or even one simple decision.

Our beliefs have been challenged and our wills tested and we will walk away as better people. Now, we know how to choose our battles – which to fight and which to back down from. Hopefully, we have become stronger people because of what we have seen and what we have overcome and for the decisions we have made, whether they were good or bad.

So, the Holidays are almost here and half the year is over. Fall 200 came and passed like no other leaving an indelible mark on each one of us. Now, we’re left to wonder, what’s next?