Hey DePauw, did you get a haircut or something? You look different.
It seems President Brian Casey's DePauw 20/20 plan has indeed begun to change the face of campus.
And it doesn't look too shabby either. It's also not easy to miss.
New trees lining sidewalks and the construction on Emison's south face serve as constant reminders of the drastic changes to come. The empty lot where Sigma Nu used to stand is much improved without the chapter house relic that seemed to imply most buildings off campus were old and ugly. The demolition, along with the property purchases the university has been making over the past decade, is obvious progress toward the president's dream of a grand entrance on Anderson Street.
And while that huge pile of dirt that replaced Emison's porch isn't quite picturesque yet, we look forward to seeing how it opens up a largely unused but beautiful end of campus. Admissions will certainly find the building a boon, and is lucky to be moving there.
We're excited to see the architectural drafts and promises from Casey's State of the University address last year come to life while we're at school. It makes the 20/20 plan tangible, and the campus attractive and exciting to come back to.
Still, there must be some major cash flow pumping into these summer projects. We can't imagine removing an entire stone porch and replacing it with an open staircase will be cheap, and Sigma Nu wasn't an easy take down.
It's good to know 100 percent of the funding comes from external donors specifically for the project, and the university seems to be carrying out the 20/20 plan responsibly.
But, the proof is in the pudding.
Will removing a great wall of a porch inspire students to use the North lawn more often? Does a new admission building really have such a significant effect on prospective students? Could the obsession with trees be a little over the top?
Most importantly, we wonder if this type of money would be better spent on professors and academic resources. Aren't those the things that make this university so outstanding?
Perhaps, but we can't deny that we're excited about the progress we've seen.
If the end goal is a wholesale rebranding of the DePauw name, then it seems we're well on our way. But before we get too far, let's make sure we're paying for improvements that will help us all do what we came here to do: learn.
Write to the editorial board at edboard@thedepauw.edu