Opinion > May 1, 2008

By Alex Osteen | Opinion editor

Everybody transfer immediately, please! The new university logo will destroy everything we know and love about Wake Forest. It embodies the very evil that our university president represents for trying to change something that had become a tradition for this university for maybe 10 years, or at least since the last time it was changed.

This new logo definitely has a “W” and a (perhaps more hidden) “F,” but it simply reeks of the stench of new plans and a bold step into the future — in fact, it sort of reminds me of when the United States had to add new stars to its flag because it made the hasty decision to add new states. Ugh.

I cannot believe that a new president would have the gall, the very nerve, to want to come in, spend time and attention investigating all facets of the university, ask for input from students and faculty, then start making changes, especially to that logo that was so lovingly printed on the T-shirt I bought three years ago. It’s just like an architect showing up to an old cathedral and telling parishioners that they have to put in some reinforced beams to hold up the steeple. Change, pff.

I mean, personally I was really hoping that everything would stay completely the same since when I was a freshman, from the low environmental scores we received to the below-average faculty salaries. Then I was hoping that we would become a better school (which is a good thing, right?) on our own and that our national ranking would increase by itself, sort of like antiques get more valuable with time. That makes sense, doesn’t it? But now that we have had a new logo shoved down our throats, I suppose I can kiss those hopes goodbye.

What’s more is that ideas like building a parking deck, adding more space for students to live, making library renovations and improvements to Benson food court etc. etc. are being tossed around ridiculously. How dare the administration.

In all seriousness, I hope that my sarcasm has made some point here. For some reason, change is always rejected at first and I think that we should give it and President Hatch a chance.

I’m not arguing that new things are inherently good; instead I’m arguing that it’s not healthy to close your mind completely to something just because it’s new. It is my honest opinion that Hatch holds the university’s best interest in his heart and mind. Although I personally don’t agree with some details of the Strategic Plan, I think that it’s a waste of time to argue about the details – about the arch on the Quad, about the new column on the Mag Quad, about the new logo. There seems to be a sort of superficial theme developing here; all of these things are changes to h ow the campus looks and aren’t part of actual major changes to the university.

In my mind, 500 new students actually won’t make a huge difference in terms of the university’s small, close-knit feel. Of course the university will have to change some in its quest to improve itself.

Just about the worst thing that we can do as the changes start to come to fruition, is simply say that they are “bad” and that Hatch is “bad.” Rather we need to look at the big picture, form clear and convincing opinions and express them. I’m sure that the administration is and has been ready to listen. Let’s speak up constructively.

Alex Osteen is a junior economics and Spanish major from Highlands, N.C.