Badger Call for Change

There is a part of growing up that is sad; the part where you realize what you remember as once was, is no longer that way. As an alum, who will openly admit my fond memories of Spring Hill are probably sugar coated, I love Spring Hill with my whole heart and hold it dear to me. The memories that flood my mind are of wonderful people, who stood tall with pride, with hope and with respect for their friends, for themselves and for their fellow Badgers.

But where my respect is lost is when I walked down my dorm hallway to find chairs thrown everywhere, fire extinguishers extinguished and holes in walls. I know this is not some badger right of passage and therefore not all students are taking part in the fun. I am not asking for hall monitors to bring back flashbacks of Middle School or episodes of Even Stevens (for those of us whose schools was too small for hall monitors); but what flame I am trying to ignite is one of change.

I could go on for hours with Gandhi’s, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” or Martin Luther King quotes about how change must begin within before you can demand it from others; but that would be boring and less than helpful. What I am most tempted to do, is go into a “back when I was badger” story; but maybe that will help explain my frustrations.

I used to leave my door to my dorm wide open, not a problem in the world. I would walk around campus at 3 a.m. due to insomnia and be fine, no fear of attacks by visitors or by students. Honestly, it was some what normal to see sober students walking around at 3 a.m. enjoying all that is Spring Hill. There was a mentality that nothing could happen to you on campus and sleeping through the night was not abnormal because the music would stop playing, the fire alarm did not sound and students respected each other. But it appears as though that maybe changing.

I picked Spring Hill as my home of four years for many reasons; but I graduated loving it for many more reasons. I graduated from a small high school and loved knowing who my teachers were, I desperately wanted that same feel in college. Stumbling upon Spring Hill, I knew I found home after a weekend visit to the Hill. I love that feel, I knew everyone and everyone at least pretended to know me.

But Spring Hill is also a funny place because as a student, it is hard to fully appreciate it until the status of Alum is gained. During a student’s time at Spring Hill, their heart is usually torn in two, half loving the Hill and the other half frustrated by parking tickets, homework piles and mass e-mails; but there is a turning point. For some it is the moment of the looming real world, the walk down the Avenue of Oaks or the visit months after graduation when you begin to truly love Spring Hill.

The respect you once had for your fellow classmates and badgers finds its place again, you realize Spring Hill will always have a special place in your heart, you realize what it means to be Jesuit educated, to live with Service for Others and to fight for what is right.

I did a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and so much of that year was focused on respect, service, social justice and belief; so I hope the ways I have grown and matured are not just because of JVC, but also because of Spring Hill.

I hope it does not take an other drastic event on campus to make Spring Hill students aware that  change can be created. Certainly there are times when it feels like no one is on your side, shoot I’ve been there; but I survived and I made change for the people behind me. There is something to Gahdi’s quote and to my new rule in life - Don’t complain if you aren’t willing to consider the other options or changes.

When St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order bid his Jesuits farewell before they left on their mission work, he told them, “Go, set the world on fire and in flame.” I tell you this, so you know there comes a time when change is necessary, that time maybe now and that change has to come from within yourself, it must be within reason and it must begin and take off.

Life is terribly complicated, but only because we insist on making it that way, so let’s simplify it - Do what you love and change what you do not. So if you are no longer happy with how things are at Spring Hill - stand up and do something about it. Don’t blame the administration; but instead recognize their jobs; make changes when you see something you do not think is right, whether that is messy common areas, a drink spilt in the hallway or something bigger. This is your campus and your life.