Columnist Reflects as Break Nears

Well, aside from the minor matter of final exams, that is.

There's always something.

But even with the looming threat of the blue-book blues, we are in the home stretch of the semester. The time has come to look back, to ponder how far we've come and how much we've learned, to dredge up the semester's memorable moments, both good and bad, and to do all that good old traditional end-of-an-era stuff.

The big story this semester at UNC has been the debate over whether the Kenan-Flagler Business School should accept Qatar's invitation to open a satellite campus in the small Middle Eastern nation.

Many people on campus still oppose the proposal, but I for one continue to hope a satellite campus will be established. It is inevitable that some problems will crop up, but these are not likely to be insurmountable. And meanwhile, the opportunities that a campus in the Middle East would provide would be of unparalleled value to the University.

UNC will only have this one chance to pursue these opportunities, which would include the possibility of semesters in Qatar for faculty and perhaps eventually for students too, funding for distinguished visiting faculty in Chapel Hill to replace those who go there, ties to an entirely different society and culture and the chance to make a difference on a global scale.

Another reason we might remember this semester years from now is that it brought the beginning of the end of student parking on campus. Officials announced earlier this semester that on-campus parking for students living in residence halls will be eliminated completely.

It might still not be too late for polite and well-reasoned arguments from students to change this decision. There are any number of powerful arguments on our side -- especially that students are the backbone of the University, and taking away their right to parking could lead to feelings of alienation and disaffection as well as a host of other problems.

Of course, the first thing that will come to mind when we look back on this time will be neither of these issues. Desert nations and overcrowded lots, Student Congress elections and David Horowitz, Chancellor James Moeser's speech on University Day -- any and all campus issues pale to insignificance beside events that have been unfolding on the national and international scale.

On the other hand, in a way the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and the fighting in Afghanistan have become campus issues themselves. Responses to these events on campus have been strong and visible, ranging from forums supporting military action to protests to prayers for the victims.

What most makes me proud of this University is that overwhelmingly the response has been to keep informed about what has been happening. There is not much else we can do besides watching the toll of death and destruction rise and hoping that the White House sees fit to consider the conflict resolved soon.

Against the backdrop of our awareness of world events, the semester still ends in much the same way semesters have always ended. There is something great about our ability to get worked up over who will run for student body president next semester in the morning, hold up an anti-war sign outside the Chapel Hill Post Office in the afternoon and then go back to the residence hall to make travel plans for Winter Break in the evening.

Without getting too emotional about it -- this is my last column, after all -- I'd like to wish all of you a good time, wherever you decide to go, and a nourishing rest before the spring semester brings us back to the old grind.

I'd also like to thank you all for reading, especially those of you who have responded to the thoughts that have appeared here. It's been a pleasure.

Finally, to my fellow students, good luck on those exams -- there is, as I've mentioned already, always something.

Columnist Geoff Wessel can be reached at vrooom@email.unc.edu.