As the carefree days of summer begin to vanish and the reality of fall sets in, campus comes to life again. The library is full, all of the dining halls are open and suddenly there are no more empty exercise machines in Marino. With clubs and classes back in full swing, it’s easy to see the improvements that have been made around campus, and the things that must still be addressed.
A great new addition to campus is the Centennial Common farmers’ market, made possible by the Student Government Association (SGA). As college students, pizza, nachos and burgers are generally much more accessible to us than fruits and vegetables. The convenience of having fresh produce just a few steps from student housing will promote healthier eating while supporting local businesses.
The new school year also brings more dining choices on campus. Subway replaced Mondo Subs, Argo Tea is available in Snell Library and an expanded Rebecca’s Café reopened this week. Argo Tea is a great addition to campus and a much healthier option than the sugary sodas and energy drinks that used to flow from the Cyber Café. Rebecca’s is a popular place, and its good Northeastern is expanding it to accommodate the volume of traffic it receives.
The university is trying to upgrade its facilities, another benefit for students. From the upgrades of the Stetson dorms to the construction of additional classrooms, Northeastern is becoming a highly competitive and expensive school that should have nice amenities to offer.
Over the past few years, the community has lost its patience with the university and its inconsiderate students pouring into apartments on Mission Hill and Fenway. For the first time, freshmen and sophomores are required to live on-campus, which, in theory, should ease these relations.
Having said that, the administration’s planning was off. The smaller scale construction projects should have been completed before students returned for the fall semester. Blackman Auditorium, a central part of the university, is still not open. Rebecca’s Café didn’t open until earlier this week, and students are being shuffled around because their classrooms are not ready to go.
Construction off-campus, or lack thereof, is a problem as well. Work on the Greater Boston YMCA gym should have started in June, setting the university up to fulfill its agreement with city officials to construct an additional 600 dormitories. Instead, Northeastern is facing two lawsuits and immeasurable opposition from the community.
For every step forward, the university seems to take two steps back when it comes to pleasing those around it. Northeastern is a huge part of the city, and we need to be better neighbors. Whether that means the university accepting less students so that more can live on-campus, or students behaving when heading home from parties on the Hill.
With all the construction, gender-neutral housing has still not been expanded from 65 beds, despite an SGA survey that found a large percentage of students are interested in it.
As Northeastern’s prestige grows, we continue to make improvements. As we are at the beginning of the year, it seems like a good idea to reflect on what we have achieved, and what we still have left to work on.
