State of the Campus

Fellow Cardinals. The current state of our own campus is at a tipping point. Almost eight years after one of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression, our university community is starting to become stronger than ever. However, many problems exist within these historic grounds. If we fail to act now or soon, we are doomed to debts beyond repair. Primarily, our economic situation is dire. Tuition and fees hinder students as well as families, part-time teaching faculty and staff are paid stagnated wages, and departmental cuts have serious outcomes to how we operate. Beyond economic concerns, there is an obvious lack of school spirit, existing bias against marginalized groups such as LGBT people as well as religious minorities, and low interests in the affairs of the student government. As new infrastructure projects are going up, maintenance is being slowed down in key areas such as Marist and along John McCormack Road. Reports of academic dishonesty are being revealed. Meetings and surveys intended to improve the campus have done very little to nothing at all due to the lack of participation. Although the campus has many pitfalls that we would love to see change, it is important to not overlook the great things that our university has to offer. Catholic University’s prime location in the nation’s capital attracts students from across the country and offers its students internship and learning opportunities that other campuses do not have access to. There have also been many improvements in recent times, such as the infrastructural revamp of Leahy Lab and the recent talk of new renovations on campus to improve student life. CUA PEERS’ presence on campus is unmistakable because of their efforts to raise awareness about social issues that can oftentimes dominate college campuses including sexual assault and mental illnesses. ProgramBoard’s new PBGivesBack initiative will undoubtedly leave an impact on our community that we hope will promote CUA’s mission of service. Other positives include a greener campus, smaller class sizes which lead to more one-on-one opportunities with teaching instructors, and 45 free sessions at the counseling center. We wish to see our campus thrive and improve with each graduating class and generations to come in the near future. It is time to put Catholic and America back into The Catholic University of America. This has been your 95th Tower Staff delivering a brief, only somewhat satirical state of the campus.