A new semester means new classes. And new classes mean new fees to pay, and more books to buy. And with the mounting expenses of being a student, I’m sure that everyone is noticing the extra squeeze on their wallets. We’re in the middle of an economic crisis in this country, and it seems like all we do is keep on spending. As if it isn’t bad enough that the students are paying through the nose for textbooks every semester, the school seems to be turning right around and spending their money on things that are nice, but really shouldn’t be a priority.

For example, the new parking lot being built is nice, but is it necessary – especially if it’s staff only? I understand that the school wants to treat its faithful faculty well, but there are thousands of students that need to park here every day, and many end up circling the lots for twenty minutes or more hoping for a space to open up.

But in spite of all the decisions and expenditures we may not agree with, we can keep focusing on the positive things. The coffee shop “going green”, for example, or the fact that enrollment is up more than 10% since last semester. So instead of focusing on the negative, we can remind ourselves that there are still positive things happening around us, and they’re worth thinking about too.