As a music education major, I really appreciated the editorial and cartoon on the issues with accessibility of the window. Music and fine arts students are often excluded from various organizations’ meetings, university wide events and/or simply getting lunch, due to classes during the supposed university-wide window. I know that this is no one person’s or department’s fault, for there are scheduling issues and conflicts on all sides, around which meetings and events must be arranged, but it seems like a very large and obvious problem that is either going unnoticed or ignored. In either case, I feel that it is imperative and that it’s only fair to the student body that this be addressed.

All students should be available to celebrate our school and participate in university events. It’s important for building a sense of community and school spirit, things that Loyola prides itself on, to have students attend these events, as well as to ensure that the money and time invested in these events is not wasted. Events like the unveiling of the new athletics logo are a prime example of the music and fine arts students missing out on some of the advantages of being a Loyola student with the window free. Free Loyola merchandise, free food and the like are given out during this time. With a class for all music majors every Thursday durning the window, it is easy for these students to feel unappreciated and excluded. If we are looking to promote the idea of “one Loyola”, perhaps we should start by not excluding an entire major.

In regard to taking a second thought about scheduling meetings during the window, I have another factor to support the reconsideration of this “free” time. Is your organization looking for some new ideas, a fresh slogan or logo? Why not tap into the huge creative resource that is our College of Music and Fine Arts? These are the students who specialize in creative fields, and they want to be involved and share their talents in service to your organization’s purpose. Not only are organizations missing out on the chance to bring new perspectives and new passion to their causes, but they are also missing out on a fairly large fundraising opportunity.

Whether you are a student of the College of Music and Fine Arts or a member of an organization that meets, advertises or fundraises during the window, you are losing in this situation.

Emily Macnamara

Music education senior