Column: Always ripe for change

I'm a senior, and I like to reminisce sometimes.

About my first tour of Boston College, for instance, when Campanella Way was a big hole next to the Higgins staircase. Or when St. Ignatius Gate was being built, offering the sweet sounds of early morning construction to those of us who lived in Walsh.

BC's campus is light-years ahead of those days, and the administration deserves credit for it. More students are being housed. There's a new dining hall. There's even a refurbished coffee shop boasting what appears to be a chocolate fountain.

BC football switched conferences, bringing in the added revenue and exposure of the ACC. The $26 million Yawkey Athletic Center was completed, providing enhanced facilities.

Now it's time for the University administration to put aesthetics (and perhaps even athletics) to the side and start placing a stronger focus on academics and student formation.

University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., knows this. On Wednesday, at the University Convocation, he offered an exciting vision of BC's future. With the recently acquired Brighton Campus, Leahy said, a long-awaited student center, a new recreational complex, faculty and graduate housing, and a bridge connecting the Main and Brighton campuses are in the works.

And as the University's 150th anniversary draws near, it's about time the academic plans he laid out also come to fruition. Centers for the humanities and integrated sciences are long overdue, as is a school of theology and ministry.

With over a hundred Jesuits on campus, that last goal could easily be a reality. And if Leahy and the administration really want BC to become "the leading Catholic university in the world," it must be done.

But why stop there?

Complacency has led to a wealth of lacking programs at BC - academic advising, for instance - that could easily be rectified with some bold thinking.

"BC could either contract out professionals to come and advise students, or have professors be intensively trained to deal with a variety of issues," said Kellie Cairns, A&S '06. "Advisers should be required to meet with students for half an hour at a time, not just for five minutes."

Leahy promised more endowed chairs, but what about new academic departments and degree programs? More course offerings in existing ones? And more professors to teach them? Perhaps most importantly, what about focusing on increased financial aid to attract the most qualified students in the nation to BC?

Leahy mentioned financial aid as an improvement to be made, but just talking about it won't be enough. In order to compete with other top schools for the best students, a concerted effort must be made to work with middle-class families as well as continuing to distribute aid where it's needed most. When BC's administration thinks of improvements, affordable education should trump salad bars and elaborate dessert options.

These goals will only be accomplished when students start taking an active role in the University's improvement. "I don't think many students see themselves as critical contributors to the future of the University, even though they absolutely are," said Michael Dixon, a member of the steering committee for the University's Strategic Planning Initiative and CSOM '06.

There are many ways students can voice their opinions to the administration, Dixon said.

If you think a class was a complete waste of your time, write a letter to the academic vice president. If you have an idea about improving student facilities, contact Student Affairs.

If we all play our part, then maybe we'll all be able to reminisce knowing that we directly contributed to its success.