Suffolk University was busy this semester with major changes to campus buildings and procedures, leaving students with mixed feelings heading home for the holidays.
On campus, amenities like the Smith Dining Hall in Samia got a facelift with a new coat of paint and the removal of carpeting in the dining area. The addition of Thrift-o-Rama, a second hand store in the lobby of Sawyer, offered students a new way to shop responsibly.
These changes weren’t as impactful as the events and student groups on campus that made their mark on Suffolk, according to students.
“I think that most of the good things on campus are because of the students here who make stuff happen, not even the school,” said Lila Hall, a junior psychology major.
For Hall and many other students, some of the funding initiatives on campus made for amazing events. Michael Olivieri, a member of the Finance and Investing Club on campus, bolstered a $200,000 budget increase for next year, an exciting development for the group, which uses funding to give students real-life experience in the stock market. Despite this excitement, Olivieri said his semester lowlight was the funding process put in place by the Student Government Association.
“Dealing with Student Leadership and Involvement and SGA with their funding situation for the club, them being super restrictive now for some reason, it’s just kind of a pain dealing with,” said Olivieri. “I think there’s a lot of funding that goes to some places it shouldn’t and doesn’t go to places it probably should.”
Other clubs, like Program Council, were the highlight of students like Cailee Lavoie’s semester. For Lavoie, a commuter, being able to enjoy free food and fun events while on campus was a favorite part of the fall semester. These events couldn’t overshadow Lavoie’s frustrations with the Sawyer elevators, which have been causing students strife from week one.
“Having the broken elevators really was not helpful, especially as someone who works in the Sawyer building. I all of the sudden had to be the person or one of the people to direct students on where to go with all the classrooms having to shift. I think that over the summer they could have worked on that when not a lot of people were using the building, but they chose to neglect that,” said Lavoie.
Registering for classes continued to be a struggle for students, especially with Workday still being a new application for students to navigate. For Ainsley Reid and other media and film majors, the lack of spaces in key classes made the process far more stressful. Reid is currently one of nine students looking to get into an imperative production class that only runs once a year.
“Essentially 14 people can take this class a year, and it isn’t prioritized for majors. There’s quite a few people I know who are trying to graduate this spring or otherwise next fall and without taking this class this spring, they’ll be unable to graduate,” said Reid. “There are people who aren’t majors who get in over people who are and need it.”
Many frustrated students reached out to the department, who clarified that they would be adding an additional section for the spring 2025 or fall 2025 semester, but students have not heard anything since about what the next steps are. With tuition being due and the finals week just around the corner, the lack of answers has many students weary as they leave school for the next month.
Claire Rayevsky also has to cite student organizations as this semester’s high point at Suffolk. As a member of Ramblers Chamber Choir and performer with Who’s Askin’, she was able to enjoy those extracurriculars despite an academically challenging semester.
“The best part of my semester was really solidifying performing arts groups that mean a lot to me. I don’t always have the time to do all of the performances but you get to meet really amazing people and attend cool concerts,” Rayevsky said.
As the spring semester approaches, students are hopeful to see Suffolk’s continued contribution to the students that make campus so lively. One highlight of spring semester for many students is Alternative Spring Break, an initiative that has gotten far more involvement this year according to Raffaella Shanahan, a student leader for the program.
“The way we’re doing things this year compared to last year is so much more organized,” said Shanahan. “We’re doing a lot more fundraising, there’s a lot more participating, it’s a lot more fun than last year. Not to say last year wasn’t fun but the morale is higher.”
While the groups have been planning all of this semester, the trips will take place over spring break.
With schedules solidified and excitement around the spring semester already flowing through campus, students can look forward to all events and improvements to campus that will continue to be available to them when they return.
