At the end of the school year, some students choose to take stock, plan for the future and make up for the mistakes of the past year. Of course, many just put the whole thing behind them and move on, without a thought to the past.

Events of this year do pose questions for the future. Will students wipe the memories of 2003-2004 from their minds, or learn from the mistakes and advancements made on campus this year?

Some things that happened this year we would all rather forget. While the Patriots winning the Super Bowl is an event many will remember their entire lives, the riots and the fallout afterwards is something students should learn from. Should our beloved Red Sox take the World Series this year, students and administrators alike will hold their breath. Can Northeastern students learn from the past? Will the cancellation of the Ludacris concert prove to be enough to change our collective behavior?

The transition from quarters to semesters was relatively smooth, and proved to be almost as big of a bust as the Y2K hype. However, we have yet to see what the summer sessions will bring — other than sparse course selection. Can Northeastern students stand spending 100 minutes a day, four days a week of their summer in a class? Will that be enough time to learn anything of value?

Not everything this year was negative. Through the diligent work of Student Government Association leaders, a Coordinator of Sexual Assault Services was hired, a huge step forward in Northeastern providing more comfort and support for its students. With the addition of this new counselor, will Northeastern look to add even more support in that area? Can we expect a real change in sexual assault reports and statistics?

Some things that happened on campus this year were unavoidable — the student deaths that occurred, seven in total, were tragedies in every sense of the word. We, as a community, should take stock of our loss and should choose to be more conscious of our neighbors. Those in need of help, or in danger of trouble, should be those we take extra interest in for their sake and the sake of our community. What will we as students learn from these tragedies?

Change is in motion this year: new buildings, higher tuition and higher rankings. West G and H will open in the fall, providing more housing for Northeastern students as we work our way towards the ability to house all students on campus, a personal goal of President Richard Freeland. Will this goal lead to a more congenial campus community? Does this goal justify raising tuition for those who will never reap the benefits? Can we ever possibly reach the top 100?

It’s a lot to handle, but so was this year. Only time will answer the questions at hand — what did Northeastern learn this year, as a community? And, what’s next?