Students, faculty, alumni and unaffiliated college newspaper aficionados, it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you all to Loyola University Maryland. Yes, it's true, as of Aug. 19, 2009, the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) officially recognizes our humble Jesuit institution as a university. Sort of makes you want to party, huh? Well, good news, the Loyola community will officially celebrate this change on Sept. 25 and 26 in a ceremony promising a convocation followed by a delightful tandem of desserts and fireworks.
I'm excited too.
This transition has been widely accepted by the community, as it represents an ascension in status from lowly "college" to the nationally-recognized prestige of "university." This migration will not only increase the value of a Loyola degree (by virtue of our higher academic standing), but also present an opportunity for greater growth. With the two largest freshman classes on record coming in consecutive years, and campus-wide renovations to accommodate them, Loyola has been prepping itself for expansion, and, with the distinction of being a university, we are able to pursue it. The name change is simply the next step in our continued progress.
While all this may be true, there is still a persisting insecurity that has traditionalists cocking their heads to ask, "What?"
Feeling as though they will lose their connection with their alma mater, alumni have not been shy about voicing their disagreement with Loyola University. When the administration first considered changing the name from Loyola College, they were met with resistance from a large number of community members (mainly alumni) who feared the change would do harm to the reputation Loyola College had built as a small, private, Jesuit school. They argued that our prestige was being the only Loyola College in the Princeton Review while there were three Loyola Universities scattered across the academic plain. Perhaps some of the dissent also stemmed from the stubborn desire to preserve the status quo, but either way the name change ultimately went through, leaving a rift in the Loyola community.
So how do we rectify this?
My first instinct would say cupcakes and Roman candles, and it looks like Loyola and I see eye to eye on that. For some, however, that may not be enough. Luckily, the administration has appointed a designation change task force (I'm not making this up) to help smooth over some of the anxiety. This task force has performed near miracles thus far: rappelling into a local Kinko's from helicopter to print up more accurate business cards; changing signs on campus like a NASCAR pit crew; and stuffing envelopes with ninjitsu stealth to alert us of their activities.
In perhaps their greatest conquest, the task force has apprehended John J. DeGioia, Ph.D., the president of Georgetown University, to give a keynote address at the designation ceremony. As the president of the country's oldest Catholic university, Dr. DeGioia will likely release a calming blend of beat-up old rhetoric associated with change - quotes about "momentous periods of change" and how we are about to witness "the dawn of a new day" - the sort of stuff that'll make everyone happy to be part of the designation change. The next night, we'll blow stuff up and have snacks, hides successfully covered.
Way to go, task force.
Students, however, have been generally more receptive to the new name, choosing to look forward instead of backward and embracing the new for the opportunity it presents. Supported by a faculty administration focused on betterment, students have warmly accepted the reality of Loyola University. This difference of attitude could easily be attributed to the cliché "old versus new" situation wherein the staunch traditionalist phooeys anything new because it constitutes change and the younger generation rebels out of reckless disregard for the past - but the true circumstance is much simpler.
As students, we see first-hand what this change really entails. We see new traffic signs advertising "Loyola University, next right" and we receive letters in our mailstops with drastically adjusted headers to carry the new name - and that's about it. We still see the same shoeless dudes tossin' the Frisbee to their bros on the Quad, the same Evergreens bonding admirably in the face of criticism, the same New Jersey princesses wearing designer sunglasses in the dining halls at night, and the same party animals getting bed-wettingly drunk on Tuesday nights. The atmosphere on campus remains unchanged, despite the fact that Salsa Rico's unfortunately didn't make it through the transition and we can no longer call it "LoCo" (thank God).
Allow me to let Billy Shakespeare explain. He once said, "that which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet," and that infernal cliché has been kicked around like an inner-city coffee can ever since, attaching its meaning to all sorts of nomenclature dilemmas. So, what's that smell, Loyola University Maryland? Did you catch that? Smells a lot like evergreen trees in season, a lot like 8 a.m. classes on a Monday - a lot like Loyola College, don't you think? Well, maybe with just a slight hint of progress.
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