There have been a lot of changes at Bradley this school year.
Some were big and noticeable, while others subtly made their presence known.
The year started with Westlake Hall’s opening. As one of the original buildings on campus, the new hall is larger than ever, with more tools and space for students to grow and learn.
The moratorium on social events at fraternity chapter houses was a major change for many students, both greek and non-greek. This brought about new policies on drinking in chapter houses, sparking discussions across campus.
Students were integral in one change, bringing the Hilltop Saftey Cruiser to campus, by voicing their opinions about safety loudly.
And more recently, the Interfraternity Council announced the addition of a new fraternity on campus next school year, Delta Sigma Phi. The new organization will inspire a sense of both competition and open arms in the greek community.
Whether the changes were big or small, good or bad, we as Bradley students accepted them. We ran with them. We fought against the ones we didn’t like, and we worked hard to make changes of our own.
And that, in itself, is the Bradley way. As a medium-sized institution, we’re exposed to changes every school year that plenty of large universities or tiny community colleges would not face.
We see tenured faculty, who have spent decades on campus shaping their designated programs, leave once their service is complete. We see new staff members with fresh ideas take up positions, hoping to better the student body.
We see changes in the functionality of campus, like renovations in Geisert Hall or technology upgrades in the Catepillar Global Communications Center.
Sometimes we face changes we don’t agree with, so we debate them and strive to change them once again.
As students, we’re all facing changes as the concluding days of the school year wind down. Students will move out of dorm rooms or houses for new places to live. Schedules will change in preparation of finals, and adjust for more late nights spent studying and less hours sleeping. And for some students, a lot of change is coming as they graduate and change into the world of professionals with bachelor’s degrees.
These changes might be some of the hardest for us to accept.
But just like all the changes Bradley has faced this school year, from the campus-wide programs to department-wide policies, students need to realize change is not always a bad thing. It might not be comfortable, and it might be intimidating. Yet it provides us new opportunities to explore, learn, debate and grow.
It’s been the Bradley way this year to work with all the changes we faced. Nothing’s stopping us from doing the same in the future, our future.
