New presidents typically want to remake their institutions, and Jill Beck will not likely be an exception. While many of these changes will be welcomed, there are a few things we editors think should remain as-is.
Keeping Main Hall Green is a must. It is difficult to imagine what could go there instead — perhaps a huge monument to individualized education – but as it is, it integrates brick, mortar, and nature nicely into a single Lawrence whole.
Keeping tenure-track positions is another must. As we noted last week, increasing the number of full-time, non-tenure-track positions is both unfair to our faculty and endangers Lawrence culture. We respectfully disagree with Professor Glick’s accusation that our staff editorial on this matter was “sloppy.” At times, we are indeed “provocative and skeptical,” and as experienced skeptics we know well that asking for an answer not infrequently provides us with only half of the truth.
Lawrence should keep a campus bar, whether in the current Union or the planned new student union. An on-campus bar is valuable both as a center for senior social life and as another factor that makes Lawrence different from most other liberal arts colleges.
The university should also maintain its policy on senior streak. The issue has been contentious in the past, but by the end of the Warch administration both students and administrators realized that to live and let live works best.
Improvements are expected and appreciated in any changing-of-hands, yet we hope such improvements are not made at the cost of losing familiar haunts and traditions.
Staff Ed: Take it easy
