For some, New Years resolutions have become synonymous with failed gym memberships and two-week-long self-improvement kicks, but we like to view this time of year more as an opportunity to kick the old habits and move on.
When it comes to Concordia, old habits die hard and sometimes come back to haunt future generations for years. With a fresh face at the helm and a new cycle of students filing through the hallowed halls year after year, there’s really no reason why the university can’t start improving its image. The old girl has waited long enough and may she rise like a phoenix from the ashes. Or at least, when it comes to scandal, may the powers that be finally realize that in this case less is indeed more.
From the cramped Concordia Student Union offices to the spacious upper floor board rooms in the GM building, we want to see change on the horizon. We aren’t asking for a miracle, simply offering some friendly advice that Concordia should take this opportunity to lay low and keep its proverbial nose to the grindstone.
New Years is not a clean slate maker by any means, but it does come with a certain inclination for reflection and re-evaluation. Changes need to be made, attitudes adjusted and dated ways of management tossed aside. Out with the old, in with the new.
The point of all this, we suppose, is to say that there is hope for Concordia yet. Institutional change like the kind we hope to see does not happen overnight nor does it happen as a result of some silly resolution made at 12:01 a.m. after ingesting one too many glasses of cheap champagne. Change like that happens because everyone wants it to and everyone works for it.
Universities are undergoing a period of uncertainty and believe it or not, times are changing. The way people think about post-secondary education is changing. There is a movement towards new, youthful innovations and transparency where before there was facade. This is the right time for things to get better and that will absolutely require effort on the part of every group and individual who is part of this community.
Students and faculty cannot have a pride in an institution which they feel is untrustworthy or out of control, and the perception and reception of Concordia’s public image will not improve unless those fears are put to rest.
In the university community, people like to toss around terms like “good faith” and that is exactly what is needed in this instance. A university is not a business, it is a place of learning. There may be an awful lot of men in suits and books to balance, but that does not change the core nature of what a university is and what it ought to be.
