By Staff

Those tiny, yellow pencils have started to appear again, and unless Hofstra is hosting a miniature gold tournament, then it can mean only one thing – time for teacher evaluations. (Be nice.) At this point, the average student has spent roughly $10,000, and close to 90 hours in class for this semester alone. This is the price one must pay for higher education, but was it a worthy investment? Simply put, did you learn anything? Sure, after sitting through lectures about everything from Shakespeare, calculus, biology and Middle Eastern politics twice a week, for three months, some information is bound to seep into your brain. However, anyone who believes that college is merely about memorizing facts, figures and formulas, clearly is missing out on the point of these four years. College is not simply about learning about the world, but discovering your place in it. Every essay that you write, every chapter that you read and every test you take is designed to not only measure how well you are absorbing the material, but also to force you to think – to question your beliefs, stretch your mind and to be able to intelligently voice your opinions. Amid the monotony of work and class, each semester should also reveal something about yourself that you might not have known before. Maybe these lessons were learned in the classroom setting, but more often than not they come to light through the interactions we have with one another during the rest of our time on campus.

It is the job of a newspaper to both chronicle the lives of the people it serves and to hopefully teach them a thing of two about the world they are living in. This semester, we have seen students and other members of the campus community do some great work, and some who have engaged in less laudable endeavors. The Student Government Association has bore the brunt of press coverage, however, we can learn much from their accomplishments and from their mistakes. This fall, accusations were made against President Peter DiSilvio, claiming he broke SGA rules during his 2006 election campaign. The allegations raised questions about the campaigning practices of fellow candidates in the past election, forcing SGA to reevaluate their Constitution, specifically their election policies. While confronting this problem, SGA also was blindsided when they learned that a list of the club budgets for the 2006-07 school year, confidential information that only SGA members had been privy to, was leaked to a reporter. While the initial response of some senators toward seeing this information printed and circulated throughout campus was anger, the majority dealt with this matter in a very mature and open-minded way. Rather than becoming defensive, SGA used the disclosure of this information as a chance to prove to the student body that they are here to listen and they are willing to change. They reexamined their current budget policies, engaged in an open discussion and passed legislation to make future club budgets accessible to the public in the future. (The meetings in which decisions about how much money club will be allocated are reached will remain closed; however, this change is a step in the right direction.) The saga of SGA demonstrates that there is always room for change, that criticism, when handled rationally, can be a source for good, and is the impetus for improvement. SGA has also acknowledged that their current attendance policy has failed to motivate its members to be present at meetings, impeding the group’ s ability to function efficiently. This past week, they attempted to make significant changes that would boost attendance, however, not enough members shared their good intentions. Once again, a lesson learned: there will always be those few members that hold back the rest; who choose their own self interests over what is in the best interest of the entire group. This problem exists on all levels of government and within society. Like each of us, SGA is a work-in-progress. Don’t let setbacks hold you back from trying. Eventually, the persistent are the ones who achieve success.

This semester also taught us all many things. October’s ban on spinach and last week’s Taco Bell epidemic taught us that maybe mom was wrong – finishing your veggies might not always be good for you. November showed us that timing is everything when the Democrats won back the House of Representatives after over a decade of Republican control, and the Speaker of the House role was finally granted to a woman.

Some lessons were more difficult to attain than others. Recently, the campus community learned that not all battles can be won, even when we fight our hardest. In the loss of Nick Colleluori, a member of the University’s lacrosse team who had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, we were reminded about how fragile and uncertain our lives are. If nothing else, this campus community can learn how to live their lives by the example Colleluori set for us – to be fearless, to fight even when odds are against you, to value family above all us and to never stop doing what you love.

Whether you realize or not, you are not the same person who walked across the Unispan that first week of September. Perhaps, you are too busy now stressing over finals, but once your life settles again, try to reflect on what you have learned this semester before you return in January. Recognizing your accomplishments and your can help you set goals for the upcoming school year. It also ensures that the lessons you have learned are not wiped out along with the dates and definitions, and the lectures and logarithms you usually forget after you reboot your memory at the conclusion of each semester.