By The Gatepost Editorial
As we prepare to leave for Thanksgiving break, the changing temperatures bring a lot more that nobody really wants to deal with - the annoyance of the cold, the flare-up of seasonal affective disorder, and the looming thought of finals.
Although it’s easy to complain, The Gatepost would instead like to take a moment to recognize the wonderful aspects of our Framingham State campus for which we are grateful.
For example, this week, 13 administrators gathered for SGA’s biannual Town Hall, previously known as Administrators’ Forum. During the forum, students and administrators took part in valuable problem-solving discussions about student issues.
Town Hall is a long-standing tradition at FSU and one that does not exist at many other universities. We appreciate administrators taking time to listen to students' concerns on a double-booked week, when the Board of Trustees meeting also occurred, to offer responses to student concerns.
We would specifically like to give a shout out to President Nancy Niemi, as well, who has been a phenomenally supportive member of the community since joining the University.
We would also like to thank SGA for providing this venue for students and for caring deeply about the well-being of our student body.
We at The Gatepost are also grateful for the Center for Inclusive Excellence. As an entity that covers student events, over the course of the semester, we have witnessed student participation levels at programs soar. The dedication to diversity in programming to create a truly welcoming, celebratory, and fun environment for all students has been phenomenal.
Thank you, Program Coordinator Emma Laurie and CIE Director Jerome Burke.
We are also incredibly thankful for the University’s commitment to student wellness.
The Health Center offered Narcan training in early October to provide students with incredibly important knowledge on how to save lives in the case of emergencies during an epidemic that is worsening. The Center continues to provide valuable learning opportunities weekly, and we would like to acknowledge Coordinator of Wellness Education Pamela Lehmberg and the S.E.A.L.S Peer Health Educators.
We would also like to take this time to recognize everyone responsible for making sure the University functions every day - such as the maintainers, the rest of the facilities team, and the staff in the Dining Commons.
Something else we are thankful for is the student outreach by University Police. Its recent attempt to connect with students by hosting tables in McCarthy Lobby and attending student events with K-9 comfort dog Ramsey helps to foster a reassuring relationship between students and campus police. We appreciate this effort.
It has also been clear this semester that we can rely on FSU to show up to support worthy causes.
For example, the recent campus-wide celebration of National Philanthropy Day that took place in front of McCarthy Center and by West Hall showed a conspicuous commitment to giving and taking a step back to recognize others.
The education honors society, Kappa Delta Pi, also hosted a Thanksgiving Food Drive for local Framingham families to help ensure they were able to celebrate the holiday.
Furthermore, Sarah Ripton, director of the Rams Resource Center, has been revitalizing the center in recent months and serving students daily.
During the cold months, the RRC, in collaboration with Dining Services, also runs a food and coat drive.
All of this reminds us of how when our campus comes together, we can make a great impact.
It is so important to support these services as they are instrumental for students in need, sometimes being their only way to make it through a difficult time.
So even if some students never need them personally, having these services here is something all of us should appreciate.
And our faculty.
Many of us have amazing, hardworking, and thoughtful professors who dedicate their lives to helping students. If a specific professor comes to mind when you read that, take some time to thank them!
These are just a few examples of why our campus provides us daily reasons to be grateful.
We encourage you, even during the hustle of finishing up the semester, to look around and acknowledge what gives you reasons to be grateful.
You will be surprised by how much you will find.