By Ashley Traupman, News staff

‘ Frank Sinatra sang, ‘The best is yet to come.’ Since this is my last year at Northeastern, the saying may hold true, and the future of the university may be bright. But it’s one of my last chances to reflect on the good and the bad of 2008′-09, so here is a description of some of the year’s best and worst, including some of the university’s ugliest moments.
As a group, we spent 24 consecutive hours running around the city for the Husky Hunt; literally ran around campus, but this time in our underwear; and participated in other group events like the Springfest-week obstacle course, and Greek week. We even did it in the dark ‘- an attempt to conserve energy.
We saw Democrats and Republicans come together through NU Votes, making sure as many students as possible cast their ballots in November’s historical election. And when the results of that election poured in, we joined in droves at the Christian Science Center reflecting pool to peacefully celebrate the election of our first African American president.
This year, Northeastern played host to some amazing musical and comedic acts. While I did not personally attend Springfest, which saw Jimmy Eat World and Guster perform, or laugh when Jon Stewart told jokes, if these Best of NU votes prove anything, then they were worthwhile performances.
As for sports, Northeastern had a pretty great year. In my four years here, working at The News has forced me to care about athletics in a way I may not have otherwise, and for once, I actually followed the action. The women’s soccer team won the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament; men’s hockey made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly 15 years; and volleyball won Northeastern’s first regular season CAA title. There was a lot to cheer about. And while student participation wasn’t always high, the athletes always deserved our attention.
While the Best of NU poll attempts to highlight the aspects of student life we appreciate, there were also some mistakes made in the last few months.
Following last year’s Student Government Association (SGA) direct elections, during which Senator Derek Miller said the group was ‘beyond shambles,’ this year’s process was supposed to go more smoothly; we all had our fingers crossed. Yet elections were hindered again by a lack of student votes for the elections to count ‘- and the necessary extension of the voting deadline to fix the problem ‘- to a high no-confidence vote and the suspension of candidate Matt Soleyn’s campaign. This year’s election was anything but efficient and there needs to be changes implemented in the future to ensure elections are advertised or else the idea of direct elections needs to be rethought.
This year the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR) also refused, again, to listen to student input when they asked for reform to the Code of Student Conduct. The Student Disciplinary Bill of Rights, which consisted of concise rights for students summonsed by OSCCR, was brought to OSCCR, but, as explained in a March 18 letter to the editor by a student-at-large member of the Code of Conduct Review Board, the ideas about changes necessary to OSCCR’s effective implementation were ignored. If OSCCR is in charge of punishing students, then they should, at the least, listen to the needs and wants of the very students they are supposed to protect. In the future, hopefully they wake up and grasp this reality.
As has become the usual at Northeastern during my years here, there were also cases where students and faculty asked the administration for transparency. While last year we wanted a straight answer about the fate of the football team, this year we wanted answers about why College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jim Stellar walked away from a school he loves so much and what will happen to the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Criminal Justice. When Stephen Director was first announced as provost, he promised transparency. Yet when Stellar ‘stepped down’ as dean, no one would talk about the real reason why.
That is until last week, when Stellar resigned from Northeastern as professor, his latest position, for that as provost at Queens College in New York. Now we know that the real problem was tension between Director and Stellar. But what gives a newcomer the right to change a system that, for years, seemed to work? Also, as for the lack of information presented in regards to the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Criminal Justice, after months of meetings and students asking questions, we are still not getting straight answers. This semester will end in a few days and there will be just as much confusion as there was when the decision to consider a restructuring was announced.
As I get ready to graduate in a few weeks, I know one thing will remain consistent year after year:’ People will always leave things unattended in Snell Library or the Curry Student Center and will then be flabbergasted when they return and their laptop/wallet/iPod is missing. Crime Log will forever be filled with such entries. My one piece of advice for those of you who wish to continue to have successful Northeastern careers, stop being’ stupid and don’t leave your stuff unattended
As for the rest of you who already know this rule, continue to live up your time at Northeastern. There will always be good, as well as bad, memories that define our time at this school, but hopefully we will learn from our college mistakes and make the most of our lives. Good luck in the future. And keep in mind that we are all in this together.

‘- Ashley Traupman, News Staff