EditorialBack in the swing

By Editorial

A three-month hiatus for university students is almost a lifetime. But, now that the break is over, students are welcomed back to a different campus where one-fourth of the students are new and the Graham pool is no more. What a difference a summer break makes.

This page left Santa Clara at the end of May hoping that a few good things would come about in a new year.

We wished that during the several months without students milling about, university administrators would come up with a feasible, comprehensive plan to provide temporary library services before Orradre's demolishment in 2005.

We also had a few hopes for students: that some of them would learn to grow up after a year of tasteless bantering during a nearby middle school fire. We also expected that they could learn to control their tendency to throw rowdy, out of control parties in the neighborhood.

And those ridiculous hate-filled e-mails and irritating incidences of book scrawling? Come on folks, as students, shouldn't we focus our extra time on writing papers instead of barely legible, often incendiary footnotes?

Summer was the best time for some in our community to get a well-needed attitude adjustment. Let's hope students used the time wisely.

The year has started, though, and perhaps the anticipation of the upcoming presidential election will help electrify the air a bit. Even a win against Gonzaga -- or some kind of tense, nail-biting game like last year -- will knock us out of our normal routines.

For new freshmen, this year means getting into the swing of college and its rigorous courseload. For seniors: The reality of finding a job in the next few months might cause permanent whiplash.

We don't know what the year will bring -- but in the meantime, welcome back.