A lot can change in one year, and like most years, 2016 was no different. While 2016 has brought on a little more change than some can handle, it is perhaps a year that no one will forget. At Monmouth University, 2016 has been a year of highs and lows.
Over the year, the school has made some pretty large changes, including construction efforts -such as the renovation of the Thomas A. Edison Science Hall and the Dining Hall – and the installation of Monmouth Stadium, a new football stadium which is expected to be completed in 2017. Through the course of the year, The University also faced an emergency lockdown, which challenged the school’s preparation and ability to keep their students safe. Whether it can be argued for better or worse, the University has seen change and the editors of The Outlook have taken notice.
It’s hard not to ignore the construction on campus that has been visible since the beginning of last semester. While the Edison Science Building will soon be renovated and given the polished look of the other, newer buildings on campus – such as Pozycki Hall, the construction effort has had some negative effects on students while on campus.
One editor said, “I think that it is great that the campus is trying to improve our facilities. However, the construction on campus is an eye sore and sometimes makes it more difficult to walk to class. Although they are making improvements to the University current students probably won’t reap the benefits of them since these projects will be completed after we graduate.”
While the building has seen progress in the last few months, some students are finding the buildings renovation as an inconvenience. Another editor said, “The construction didn’t affect me really because I don’t have classes in Howard or Edison. However, my roommate used to do all her work in the Howard 24-hour lab, and now it’s gone. So it has been an inconvenience to students.”
Whether or not the finished construction of the building will restore positive opinions among the inconvenienced students, the newly renovated dining hall has seen some positive feedback since its reopening in the beginning of the fall semester, which could be a good sign.
An editor living on campus, said, “The new dining hall is beautiful and prior to the renovation it was pretty dated. Also, I think the renovations were needed to accommodate the new food options.” The dining hall now serves vegan dishes, and offers an area which provides gluten free alternatives to popular foods.
While many of the changes seen this year were planned, one particular occurrence was not. The alleged robbery at gunpoint in November lead to a campus wide lockdown that lasted for two hours. In that time students received alerts on their cellular phones, and the suspect was apprehended and the weapon was recovered. While no one was harmed in this incident, the University faced the challenge of how to handle an emergency situation.
Some students felt like the University did what it could in such a short period of time, others felt that they did not act quickly enough or were ill prepared and that nothing has changed since the incident occurred. One editor said, “I think the situation made students more aware of their surroundings while being on campus. But if something like this were to happen again, I feel that the university would handle it in a similar way. I have not had a sense that the University has increased security since the incident occurred.”
Another editor felt differently, saying, “I think that the incident made the University more knowledgeable about how to handle an emergency situation. I feel that they handled it well, but in the future I think that they will be more cautious about the information they give students since they received a lot of criticism about it.”
Overall, 2016 seemed to be a transformative year for the University. While much has been changed and adjusted this year, there is always room for improvement. As the year draws to a close, students at Monmouth University reflect on some of the events that happened at the school throughout the year, and hope for more positive change with the arrival of the New Year.
Another editor said, “[The University] has improved because it is planning ahead for the future better than before. With new renovations to academic buildings, the football stadium, and University policy, it looks promising for future classes.”
While it is unknown what the year 2017 will bring, The Outlook editors wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, a successful end of the semester, and a Happy New Year.
