A new powerhouse

By Editorial

MIT, Carnegie Melon and Santa Clara?

Yes, that's correct. We officially belong among the elites of engineering. In fact, if you judge by the results of the Solar Decathlon this past week, we are ahead of MIT, Carnegie Mellon and 15 other top engineering schools.

Little old Santa Clara, which didn't even originally qualify for the Solar Decathlon, ended up taking a come-from-behind third place finish.

Our team was a true Cinderella story, arriving three days late and starting out in 18th place, only to see a slow rise to the top of the leader board. Day by day, minute by minute, Santa Clara rose, from 13th to 10th to 9th, all the way up to third -- beating schools with much bigger reputations and programs.

It was such a good story that the Los Angeles Times and USA Today decided to write about the Bronco engineering squad. There were even rumors of a "Today Show" appearance.

So, taking a step back from the bronzed glory of our decathlon performance, what does the accomplishment mean for Santa Clara?

This is a big deal, arguably bigger than a WCC Commissioner's Cup title or a high ranking in the collegiate magazines. Santa Clara is on the same playing field as the big boys in engineering, and who's to say that can't happen in business, arts, or any other subject?

Santa Clara can compete on a national level. We may not be a Georgetown or a Stanford, but that doesn't mean we can't compete.

The beauty of the Solar Decathlon is that MIT didn't have an advantage because it was the biggest name around. The school had to compete on the same playing field as us, and look who came out on top.

So congratulations to all of the Solar Decathlon team -- you've done a service to everyone at the university, engineer or not. You've shown that our school isn't just some tiny Jesuit college, but a university that interprets the label of "underdog" as an invitation to success.