Current Release: April 28th, 2009 | Vol. XXX Iss. 10

OUR voice

The 2008-2009 school year has definitely had a little bit of everything, from exciting academic triumphs to disgusting dorm conditions. As the end of the academic year rolls around, it s time to remember all of those important moments that made students and faculty excited, happy, sad and angry.

September brought the beginning of the new semester and  an ugly welcome back weekend with a record high of 32 incident reports being written on that first Labor Day weekend. There also seemed to be a higher amount of vandalism that started early in the year and never quite went away.

October will be remembered for the mold invasion which took over dorms all over campus, as well as the boat that was supposed to be given to Wesleyan for the science department that never seemed to appear. October also marks the two-year anniversary of Officer Wally Zakrzewski s death which is still unsolved.

November will probably be most remembered for the culmination of the presidential race, which we at the Chronicle had been writing about since we found out who would be running. The result of Obama being voted President seemed to be a positive result for most students and faculty members.

Wesleyan finally made the switch to electronic registration, which provided mixed feelings from students, and the addition of painted blocks on the AIDS wall showed how important it was for students to support the cause.

Most students spent December through January relaxing for the holidays and break. But the campus was outraged when a Christmas tree memorial to an alumnus was cut down and stolen right before the semester ended.

Other students came back to school to take one of the many winter session classes available, including trips to New York, New Zealand, Hollywood, Maui and Belize.

In February Lina Green announced that she would not be returning to VWC next year, a huge blow to those who have known or worked with her during their time here. Probably the most exciting thing was the opening of the expanded library. No longer did students have to go off campus or through interlibrary loan in order to do research, although reports of mice both in the library and in some of the dorms were a concern to everyone.

March brought back the Empty Bowls Charity Dinner, which turned out to be a great success, as well as the college s second national title in tobogganing (of all things.) There were also a few sad moments, including the destruction of Lake Taylor wetlands and the announcement of Chappy s retirement. AKA stepped their way, literally, into Wesleyan history when they inducted eight new women into their chapter and had their first-ever probate in front of a huge crowd of spectators.

As May rolls around, it is always bittersweet. Everyone is so excited to finally get out of school and be done with work and stress but sad to leave the friends, fun and freedom that come with college.

For seniors, this May in particular brings many emotions. It is a time of change as they leave the place they called home for four years and finally go off to the outside world. For some, this means joining the workforce and getting a job, while for others it means starting graduate studies at a new college. We are also constantly being reminded that we are graduating in a recession, which means fewer jobs and less pay.

Wherever we are headed, we hope that, through the good, the bad, the moldy and the mousey, Wesleyan has taught us more than what we learn in our classes, and prepared us for the world outside the campus grounds.