This summer I came to a startling realization: I have to write the first column of the year. And it’s difficult to do so. There’s a heavy weight upon my shoulders to deliver a great message.

Should I be funny?

Should I be poignant?

Should I prattle on and on about how fantastic Loyola is? How fortunate we are to be here, glossing over some very prominent issues that affect students, faculty and staff?

Should I speak of the troubles of Loyola? Oddly enough, this doesn’t fit my style. But here’s what does:

This summer, I attended the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. I had fully intended to get great ideas from other universities and bring them back to Loyola.

But quite the opposite occurred.

In breakout sessions, I found myself giving out ideas and advice to students from other universities.

In workshops, I found myself taking very few notes, but not because the information was poor. We had already held the events and programs mentioned or were in the process of implementing these suggestions into our activity repertoire.

I found myself sympathizing with students from other universities who could hardly speak to their administration, finding themselves pitted against numerous obstacles that prevented communication. Please note that I said “sympathizing” and not “empathizing.”

I quickly understood how fortunate we are here at Loyola. And no, this is not because I’m a “student leader,” and I should say things of this nature. It’s because I honestly believe them and know them to be true.

I believe that we have a powerful student body that is capable of great things.

I know that we have myriad student organizations that cater to most needs and interests And if one doesn’t exist, it’s not hard to make it.

We have faculty easily available to speak to students.

We have an administration that opens its doors to the student body, listens to our concerns and does something about them, as opposed to patting us on the head, saying, “There, there. You only think you have a voice.”

We don’t think we have a voice.

We know we do.

We can count ourselves lucky to go to an institution that fosters progress of this sort. Now, this isn’t to say that Loyola is not without its glitches, but we are fortunate enough to be able to speak out about them, rather than stay silent and cross our fingers in hope of change.

We are fortunate enough to be able to stand up for what we believe in. We don’t have to stand behind closed doors and whisper to our friends.

As has been demonstrated, we exist in a setting that allows for the open expression of ideas, be it camping in the Peace Quad to protest the war or submitting a column to The Maroon that challenges the practices and beliefs of certain organizations.

And much of this is rooted in our Jesuit ideals. We are called to human excellence, to think critically, to develop fully, to examine attitudes, to analyze motives and to challenge assumptions. We are charged to be active.

We are charged to act with and for other people, but to do so intelligently, to have thought out what we are to do as opposed to simply following the crowd.

So I end this with a charge, a call of my own: Make this year the year you make a difference. Make this year the year you join an organization or a cause that rings true for you. Make this year the year you become active, not passive, in all that you do. Become a man or woman for others, with others. Become a man or woman with and for Loyola.