Change is a Part of Our Nature

By THE OBSERVER EDITORIAL BOARD

Going to Fordham College at Lincoln (FCLC) makes us connoisseurs of change. And a lot of it.

Our time at Fordham seems to coincide perfectly with change in all forms.

One of the most exhaustive changes that we are still going through is the construction of the new Law School building, slated to open in 2014.

As reported in Noha Mahmoud’s article on page one, “Cafeteria Renovations to Take Place this Winter,” one of the most immediate changes we can expect as FCLC students is the renovation of the Ram Café. The renovation will not only create a fresh new dining space, but it will also improve the quality of the food, something made nationally infamous by The Princeton Review.

One of the more important changes is not restricted to the Fordham community, is the season of political change we are experiencing as a nation. But in this, we, as students, somehow find ourselves excluded.

As Gabriela Mendes-Novoa reported in “Student Issues Pushed Aside in Campaigns” on page two, our plight as students trying to avoid the burden of debt in a poor job market doesn’t seem to be acknowledged. Of course, the presidential elections occur every four years and coincide with almost all students’ college experiences.

Our vote is worth just as much as the rest of America’s, so shouldn’t our financial problems count as well? Apparently they don’t: only 18.5 percent of ads in the Obama campaign and a meager one percent of Romney ads mention education. While this is a time for political change, it seems to be an exclusive change, a change not directed at a group who will soon assume the responsibility of generations before.

On the national level, the college student’s concerns and desires for change are not a priority in the presidential election. However, what we are reminded by Ian McKenna’s piece, “Understanding Historical Change; Gustavo Umpierre,” is that change at FCLC has been a staple of our nature. FCLC, founded in 1968, is a relatively new school, characterized by an affinity for constant evolution. Umpierre was the embodiment of that, striving to enhance our programs, diversifying our areas of study and ensuring we get a comprehensive education.

We learn, then, that change doesn’t have to be a building approved by a board of trustees or a new food service in response to an embarrassingly poor health grade; change is something that we dedicate ourselves to for the simple fact that change makes us different, makes us better and makes us well-rounded students. It could be a new course, a new major or a new department, but change is what makes FCLC unique. So, think about it. What are you going to change?