Helen Nowotnik
To our returning students and faculty, welcome back. To our new freshmen and transfer students welcome to Drexel University, ranked third on U.S. News’s “Up and Coming List” and home of the Best Fans in Philly, according to the Daily News! WOOO, DAC PACK! GO DRAGONS!
Those two statements describe the Drexel community perfectly. We can all physically see the constant innovation and changes on our campus, making us an up-and-coming college. We can also see how much our peers love our school when we walk down the street and see students proudly wearing DAC Pack shirts from last year, the year before that, and the year before that.
Drexel students are born passionate innovators. We came to a school that doesn’t follow the traditional semester system and makes our hometown friends feel like we’ve been shipped off to boarding school because we love trying new things and change. We came to a school specializing in career development because we’re passionate about what we do and want to light a spark in our industry.
To our incoming freshmen, you couldn’t have come to Drexel at a better time. There are new buildings popping up all the time. I swear, the last time I saw the new LeBow building it was a hole in the ground; I blinked my eyes and now it’s towering over Market Street.
The new LeBow building isn’t the only thing that has changed since last fall. Improvements to the Daskalakis Center are underway, insuring better seats for the Revenge of the Dragon basketball season. The URBN Center is also being renovated to better suit the needs students in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. The Chestnut Square development rose up as fast as the LeBow building and is slated to accept residents in Fall 2013.
Drexel’s Master Plan is unfolding before our eyes and we at The Triangle can’t wait to write more stories about the constructional advances of our campus.
Now for some closing advice to the incoming freshmen. Please go out and get involved. You’re living in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the United States. There are hundreds of clubs on campus to join and I hear the student newspaper is top notch. Good luck with your first year at Drexel. You’re up and coming and we hope you end up having as much pride in Drexel as we do.
Helen Nowotnik is a pre-junior majoring in communications and can be reached at helen@thetriangle.org.
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Thanks so much for the warm welcome! I'm in a Masters program and am so excited about being here. Although, "here" is not in the literal sense for me, as I'm an online student. But I find myself reading about the various sports offered and feeling proud that I'm part of the winning team, so to speak. I hope everyone is having a good start to the new quarter!
Wait, there are students who like Drexel for more than the co-op program? Because last time I checked, most people are unhappy with the lack of green space (trees/plants/grass) on campus, the construction going on all the time that makes going to class and enjoying any kind of quiet afternoon on campus almost impossible; not to mention the new time ticket schedule which has upset most everyone except for freshmen and those with special honors (ROTC/Honors/Graduating students/etc.).
Yes, people love the DAC pack, but that's one side of Drexel. Just because kids wear DAC Pack shirts from whatever year does not mean they love the school itself. That just means they love the school's sports, and why shouldn't they? We're DRAGONS! That's definitely something to be proud of.
What I am really trying to say though is that while sports may be a huge part of Drexel, they are doing really poorly in most other areas. I would say to incoming freshmen, make the most out of your education at Drexel and don't let the bad stuff about campus let you down! Enjoy it here! But to Drexel I would say, take a good long look at what people are saying about you. Cause I know a lot of people who have some issues with how things are done. Fix those issues, and Drexel could be spectacular in every single way!