2008 Woodie Awards
Odds Without Ends
Shallow but necessary
Gregory Leporati, Editor-In-Chief
Issue date: 6/23/07 Section: Editor Columns
Over the last decade or so, St. John's has effectively transitioned from a local Queens college to a nationally-respected school, drawing students from not only the entire country, but throughout the world. This expansion, however, has not been without a few growing pains.
Perhaps most painful was last year's housing problem, which came about due to the unexpected and unprecedented size of the incoming freshman class. As a result, the University was forced to provide temporary housing to students at a Holiday Inn during the Fall semester and then, later in the year, stuff its dorms past its usual limits. Sometimes, they even packed four unfortunate students in a standard triple room, resulting in dissatisfied and understandably upset students.
To St. John's credit, they have listened to their critics and attempted to solve their problem. The University's recently-unveiled plan to overhaul the entire Queens campus comes as a breath of fresh air for a University that, since the creation of its dorms, has struggled to make any meaningful renovations. The $145 million project aims to beautify the campus, fix any potential problems in older buildings, and provide more housing to incoming students.
The renovations should be welcomed by the student body, and the University should be applauded for their idea. However, the criticism has remained in full force.
Students have complained to me time and time again that their tuition money is being spent on all the wrong things; "why spend money to make things prettier?" argue some, while others insist that the school spend its money on improving its academic programs, hiring more prestigious professors, and providing more services to students.
This criticism is simply unwarranted.
The renovations that St. John's has planned are both practical and necessary and, ultimately, well worth the money. For example, fixing the pipes in Newman Hall, the center for IT, is an important measure to take in order to prevent any catastrophes from happening, and improving the labs in St. Albert Hall could add even more credibility to a growing Pharmacy program - arguably the most popular and well-known undergraduate field right now at St. John's.
Perhaps most painful was last year's housing problem, which came about due to the unexpected and unprecedented size of the incoming freshman class. As a result, the University was forced to provide temporary housing to students at a Holiday Inn during the Fall semester and then, later in the year, stuff its dorms past its usual limits. Sometimes, they even packed four unfortunate students in a standard triple room, resulting in dissatisfied and understandably upset students.
To St. John's credit, they have listened to their critics and attempted to solve their problem. The University's recently-unveiled plan to overhaul the entire Queens campus comes as a breath of fresh air for a University that, since the creation of its dorms, has struggled to make any meaningful renovations. The $145 million project aims to beautify the campus, fix any potential problems in older buildings, and provide more housing to incoming students.
The renovations should be welcomed by the student body, and the University should be applauded for their idea. However, the criticism has remained in full force.
Students have complained to me time and time again that their tuition money is being spent on all the wrong things; "why spend money to make things prettier?" argue some, while others insist that the school spend its money on improving its academic programs, hiring more prestigious professors, and providing more services to students.
This criticism is simply unwarranted.
The renovations that St. John's has planned are both practical and necessary and, ultimately, well worth the money. For example, fixing the pipes in Newman Hall, the center for IT, is an important measure to take in order to prevent any catastrophes from happening, and improving the labs in St. Albert Hall could add even more credibility to a growing Pharmacy program - arguably the most popular and well-known undergraduate field right now at St. John's.
Be the first to comment on this story