I’ve watched Elon University change a lot in the last four years with varying degrees of success. Most of the successful changes have had community input.
Elon is going to continue to change — especially with a new university president — and I hope that the administration continues to do what works: listening to the students and professors who spend the most time here.
I remember when the Global Neighborhood was complete, and there was a level of excitement — especially regarding Global Commons. There would be a new dining location and space to do group work and have intellectual conversations.
Anyone who has spent time in the Great Hall can attest that this is not the case. It’s a place for silent work and study. The one time I’ve gone there I walked lightly and silenced my phone. Even putting it on vibrate seemed too loud for the near-oppressive silence.
Just two weeks ago, trees were cut down behind the McMichael Science Center in preparation for a new parking lot. Professors who use those trees in class activities, including “Diversity of Life,” a class being offered this semester, were given no prior warning and didn’t know it would be happening. This lack of communication is frustrating and seems easily avoidable.
It doesn’t always have to be this way. Last spring, the graduating class was given the choice between keeping the commencement ceremony under the oaks and limiting attendance or having it in front of Alamance. They voted for the Alamance option, and luckily the weather held off enough for a lovely outdoor ceremony.
I was grateful to have the opportunity and time to work with other students on the Intellectual Climate Working Group Spaces Committee last fall. We brainstormed ideas for the renovation in Moseley Student Center, which has been renovated and has since become a balance between a silent workspace and a place conducive to group work or socialization.
Of course, one group couldn’t speak for all students. Based on our suggestions, there were boards put up at College Coffee and outside Lakeside asking students what they wanted. I voted for bean bag chairs and a pool table. When you walk through Moseley today, it’s difficult to imagine what it used to look like.
This is a place where students can eat lunch and talk to friends while sitting next to groups doing class work. This is the space that hosted an epic ping pong match last spring and a Burst the Bubble class about coffee in January. Moseley Student Center finally lives up to its name as a place for students, largely because of student input.
Buildings have gone up and been renovated all around campus. I thought I would only be sad because Smith Jackson was stepping down, but now there are so many more changes — most of which won’t affect me after I graduate in May.
But having experienced a lot of changes, I want to see that these changes are successful. Please continue to ask for student input. Reach out to the students who haven’t been invited to sit on search committees or have time to go to regular meetings. Send out surveys and put up boards outside of the dining halls.
The Elon Community is this university’s biggest asset. Use it.