How do you sum up four years? It’s almost time to throw those four-cornered hats in celebration and there is a bit of sadness in leaving what could be defined by many the best four years of ones life, at least so far.

Many of my high school friends are graduating from other colleges and universities as well, but having a bit of an elitist mindset, I think my four years at AQ was, well, just better. So, instead of engrossing myself in a discussion of who had a more rewarding collegiate experience, I decided to prove it to them by giving points what makes Aquinas special, which by luck has it, rounds out to an even 50.

This list is tentative and subjective, and certainly open to debate within the Aquinas community, but the simple conclusion is this: Aquinas College is a good school, with unique experiences and opportunities.

There have been and always will be moments at school that can provoke questions, debates and yes, frustration, but in analyzing the bigger picture of the college itself, there are many defining qualities that can produce pride and joy in the common Aquinas student. Here are a few of those special
qualities…

1) Take a Paul Bieneman class and pay close attention to what he says. Write down some quotes if necessary — it’ll be an experience you’ll always remember. “Let’s assume you and the one you love get married by telephone.”

2) Actually read what the Aquinas historical marker says.

3) Take advantage of professor office hours — not many colleges demand professors to have office hours like Aquinas. They do this for you.

4) Take a tour at night of Holmdene —preferably NOT alone.

5) Pull at least one all-nighter. It’s an eerily peaceful feeling knowing that everyone is sleeping in their warm, comfortable beds while you are struggling to survive on late night tea and Oreo cookies.

6) Play in an intramural game. This will probably be the only opportunity for you to do any sort of physical activity during your college years. Plus, it’s a great way to fight the freshman 15.

7) Go on a silent retreat. Yearh, it’s a religious focus, and yeah, you talk about God. But ya know what? You can sleep in, take naps, read for fun and you CAN’T do homework!

8) Spend a semester away. Go outside the country, or even stay in the country with one of the sister schools. Being separated from Aquinas can show how great this school really is.

9) Climb a tree. You have plenty of options.

10) Eat food that is utterly damaging to your body. Your body won’t be able to handle it forever, but right now, it can be amazingly satisfying to eat a large french fry from McDonalds at 1 in the morning.

11) Broaden your horizons. One of college atmosphere’s chief responsibilities is allowing new ideas to form. Be a part of that.

12) Eat one of Monica Edison’s cookies. Oh. My. Gosh.

13) Shake President Balog’s hand while you wear a Viva Balog shirt. You know, just for kicks.

14) Completely engross yourself in an Aquinas sporting event.

15) Form a solid relationship with a Dominican sister.

16) Two musts, going to Yesterdog, obviously.

17) The second must? Going to Schnitz Deli.

18) Take a stroll through Gaslight Village at night in the wintertime.

19) Sled down a hill by the Regina Bowl on a Wege tray.

20) Get written up (choose your poison).

21) Rub St. Thomas Aquinas’ book before you take the exam for good luck.

22) Read in the Homedene gardens.

23) Go to a Bukoswki mass on a Sunday night.

24) Walk around Downtown Grand Rapids aimlessly.

25) Doing something cultured (symphony, museums, plays at Circle Theatre).

26) Attend the butterfly exhibit at Fredrik Meijer Gardens.

27) Go on a service learning trip.

28) Do the planet walk. Yes, we have a planet walk.

29) Swim, kayak or simply be pushed into Wege pound (or Hruby Hrapids).

30) Go skating at Rosa Parks, good cheap fun.

31) Write an article for The Saint (shameless plug).

32) Take a class with Doc Durham. One of the best teachers here, and constantly challenges his students develop their own opinions.

33) Tell people who have never heard of Aquinas that our football team is undefeated since the school opened.

34) Score a touchdown at Touchdown Mary.

35) Uncover the mystery (and rumors) of closed tunnel passages.

36) Give a homemade cookie to the mail room ladies when you get a package from your mom.

37) Grab a bag of popcorn on a Monday Movie Night and catch a flick for a while.

38) Eat something that Kathy Zimmerman has baked.

39) When of age, have a drink with a professor, whether it be at Billys, Cambridge House, or Cygnus (if you’re lucky).

40) Take a sporting class that you have never taken part of before (my recommendation being fencing).

41) CYBIAC should be attended by all.

42) Lie in the middle of the turf at night and watch the stars.

43) Fashion a tradition. Not many schools can present such a hands-on experience like Aquinas. With the lack of traditions here, it creates an opportunity to be innovative and original for anyone with an idea.

44) Join a club or organization. There are 63 on campus. I’m sure one would align with you.

45) Get hypnotized when a hypnotist comes to AQ.

46) Walk the pipe at St. Joe’s.

47) Swipe someone you don’t know into Wege.

48) Feed a squirrel.

49) Go to an Improv show and see how it stack up with “Whose Line is it Anyway?”

50) Have a picnic in the Homedeme Gardens.

A joyful celebration was presented by Campus Life this past weekend at Aquinas.

The 2007-08 Aquinas College Student Awards ceremony for the outstanding freshman, sophomore and junior awards was held at the Donnelly Center. Each exceptional student showed great enthusiasm in receiving the puzzle-themed certificate.

The most essential piece of the freshmen class was Teresa Buiocchi, who Elizabeth Jenson, assistant professor of chemistry, described as “courteous and outgoing with her peers and instructors.” Other freshmen nominated were Rebecca Hyatt, Rachael Pineiro, Ariel Timm, and Sara Sanders.

Named Most Outstanding Sophomore was Cheyna Roczowksi, who also won Most Outstanding Freshman last year. Michelle DeRose, associate professor of English, read a touching letter of recommendation, in which she wrote, “She [Cheyna] won’t be happy until her friends, then her acquaintances, and then strangers learn to love themselves.”

DeRose also presented her letter of recommendation for the Most Outstanding Junior, Kathleen Pollock, who had an impressive list of accomplishments and was named most outstanding student for both her freshman and sophomore years.

“It should be clear that Kathleen does nothing without her all-out commitment,” said DeRose.

Other awards handed out at the event went to juniors Will Eberle, Alexander Jacobsson and Pollock, who were awarded with the Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities distinction. VIBE — Voices Inspiring Black Students Everywhere was named the Club/Organization of the Year.

Junior Rob Karel, senior John Kroondyk and junior Dan Treul shared a three-way-tie for Senator of the Year and senior Bradley Vandenbroeck was named the Cabinet Member of the Year for his efforts as Director of the Senate Sustainability Committee.

Senate adviser Dave Weinandy introduced Vandenbroeck as a “quiet leader,” and the graduating senior was characteristically gracious.

“My job was really easy because of my committee members,” Vandenbroeck said. “Everyone was really involved throughout the year.”

Vandenbroeck echoed the sentiments of many of the students present, saying “I don’t regret a minute of it. I probably wouldn’t change anything that we did throughout the year. It was very rewarding not only to be the director but also to see the engagement and the work put in by everybody involved.”

The awards ceremony for seniors will be held May 2, the evening prior to graduation, at 7 p.m. in the Wege Ballroom.

The sun has been much more obliging lately, and migrating birds aren’t the only indication that spring is just around the corner.

Every year at this time there is one thought that ’springs’ up just like a daisy in a garden…

It’s spring practice time for college football.

Colleges all around Aquinas are starting to throw the pigskin around in the 50-degree weather, and for many Aquinas sports enthusiasts, this calls up a recurring question: what would it take to bring a football team to Aquinas?

Sure, there would be some obvious benefits of having the Saints hit the field and go for six.

It would create more events on campus during the fall — potentially complete with tailgates and a student section decked out in maroon and white.

More alumni might come back to visit Aquinas more often, boosting life in an otherwise dull campus atmosphere.

There also might be more students who stick around on the weekends.

So yeah, there are positives, wahoo.

Realistically though, we probably won’t see football at AQ for quite some time.

The most obvious roadblock of this ambition is lack of proper facilities, or even nearby facilities that we could use. A stadium would be needed, most likely with 2,500-3,000 seats, alone costing millions of dollars.

A practice field would be nice too. The turf that AQ has right now is overpopulated with practice from other varsity sports, but it also isn’t the right thickness and length for playing football.

Clearly the weight room would have to have a mega update as well.

All these new facilities added together would make for one hefty check to AQ.

And that’s only the first obstacle.

Along with new facilities, coaches and trainers would have to be hired and brought in, which means spending more money.

Grand Valley State University has a head coach, defensive coordinator/defensive backs coach, running backs coach, offensive line coach, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, linebackers/recruiting coordinator coach, kicker/tight ends coach, defensive line/strength and conditioning coach, three graduate assistants and a video coordinator.

I’ll give you a second to catch your breath.

Moving on, if we have a football team, we’ll need some players, too. A typical college football team has 60-75 players and usually most of them have scholarships.

Let’s say 20 of them have full-ride scholarships. That would be $500,000 right there. The average athlete at Aquinas today gets a $2,000 scholarship.

Beyond the obvious issues associated with adding any new varsity sport, Aquinas would also need to pay for increased insurance.

Right now with 19 different varsity teams, Aquinas is paying $31,000 annually for insurance. That would more than double with the addition of a football team.

Perhaps you are thinking, ‘Hey, we’ll make profit on our ticket sales, alright!’

Well, actually, we won’t.

Typically students get free admission to college football games, and Aquinas students already have free admission to the other varsity sports. Students make up the majority of the audience, leaving some seats that will be filled with alums and neighborhood fans. But these sales won’t ever even come close to breaking even, financially.

It does sound pretty hopeless.

The best case scenario?

Some old money bag that has deep pockets gives Balog a blank check and tells him to make a football team.

It’s possible, yes — but is it probable?

Not so much.

For now, if you want a football team at Aquinas, get a good job, make a ton of money, and give it all to Aquinas. We’ll expect your donation in 10-20 years. Welcome to the world of being an alum.

What is a better atmosphere to be a fan, college or professional?

In being a recent participant in both, there is a clear answer.

In recently attending a Detroit Pistons game, as well as a University of Michigan basketball game and a Notre Dame football game, I have been fortunate enough to fully assess the age old question.

College is a more enjoyable experience simply because…it’s simpler.

In attending a professional game, such as the Detroit Pistons, there are many things to observe and partake in.

There’s just too much.

Once you look past the flames, the loud music, the dance team and the cheerleaders, the air balloon, the pizza giveaways, the cheer squad, the rock band, and the t-shirts being thrown around, you realize that there is an actual basketball game going on.

The Pistons, who currently have the second best record overall in the NBA, had three all-stars participating in All-Star Weekend in New Orleans and are on their way to their seventh straight 50-plus win season.

Shouldn’t this be enough for fans to get excited about?

But for some reason, talent, tradition and loyalty aren’t dependable resources when it relates to the professional setting.

Perhaps the organization and professional sports in general, question the loyalty of the fans, not trusting that watching 10 amazingly talented athletes would be entertaining enough.

So how does college do it?

By sticking with what works.

The focus of the college game isn’t the glitz and glamour — it’s the game itself.

All the other factors that college sports bring — the marching band, cheerleaders, and mascots — reemphasize the game. The cheerleaders clap after a big play, the marching band performs a fight song with a scoring touchdown and the mascot goes nuts after a big dunk. Each factor of the college setting are dependent variables — they couldn’t exist without the game itself.

Even the halftime show is really just a glorified performance of the fight song, which is provided not only simple entertainment value, but building up the anticipation of the second half of the game.

The college game works because the atmosphere is built upon foundations of talent, tradition and loyalty for entertainment value.

The college game can rely on this because the fan base already has a built in sense of devotion to the team.

College sports have such a faithful fan base because the athletics aren’t the lone variable in developing loyalty. After all, devoted college fans are typically an alumnus, where they met life-long friends, their spouse and had their first taste of autonomy in their young lives.

When going back to the one’s alma mater, it’s not just for the athletic event — it’s also for reliving the memories.

Professional teams just don’t have those experiences to build upon. They are just a team that is in the same state or area. Sure, they may have won in the past, and perhaps you have had a few fun nights watching them, but that’s really it.

I am sometimes accused of having an older spirit, but the good ol’ days seemed to be a more rewarding experience for the fans. They were relied on more to start cheers and were expected to intimidate the other opponents.

Lose the glitter, the flames, and the glamour.

Or as the old saying goes, keep it simple, stupid.

Why don’t Aquinas students attend sporting events?

A typical men’s basketball game has more students playing in the game than in the stands.
Correct me if I am wrong, but there isn’t a real sense of pride of Aquinas sports. In the case of both mens and womens basketball, success is present, both teams winning in dominating fashion with impressive victories, yet even for a winning team there isn’t a core following.

Why doesn’t the general student body care?

Maybe it’s simply the small size of the student body as a whole. Obviously a college like Michigan State would have a larger student section at a basketball game purely because they have many more students.

But other small schools have devoted student sections.

There is something else, and this problem isn’t simply with the athletics. This lack of pride is throughout all of campus.

The lack of students at sporting events and the issue of students going home on weekends stems from the same problem.

There is a lack of tradition at Aquinas College.

Dictionary.com defines tradition as “The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information etc., from generation to generation, especially from word of mouth or by practice.”
What could fit this definition for Aquinas College?

Well, for starters, there are a few traditions that have been formed like the Homecoming king and queen, the Christmas tree lighting at the Moose and Project Pride during orientation.

There is the winter dance and spring formal. There are a few legends on campus, mostly about haunted buildings.

There is also the beer tent.

But overall, there isn’t much tradition on campus.

In athletics, the lack of tradition is the most evident.

There is no marching band leading students to the field house or a lucky statue that has to be touched in order to ensure victory. There isn’t a crazy obsessed fan dressed in AQ gear whose happiness is dictated by a win or loss.

When students discuss sports on campus, it’s more prevalent to discuss the larger colleges and the national teams.

Stats and history about AQ sports just aren’t on the minds of the present student body.
Pride in your school, which forms from tradition, does take time.

There are people on campus who are attempting to make this change towards more tradition.
These people need to be recognized and most of all, supported, simply by your presence. This isn’t limited to athletic events, but a campus wide issue.

Viva Balog! is an excellent example of a new successful event on campus.

It achieved the ultimate goal for events, bringing staff, faculty and students together. More events, athletics or otherwise, should strive for this.

The beer tent does this as well.

If you want to leave a mark on this campus, the easiest way right now to be remembered is to initiate a tradition.

Strive to be connected to your school. Aquinas’ name will always be of importance to you. It will be with you with resumes, jobs and your overall creditability. Make Aquinas’ creditability increase by making it known from it’s traditions.

Twenty years from now, wouldn’t it be neat if people knew Aquinas because of the loyalty and devolution of it’s alums?
This place is special.

The beer tent is too.