As the sesquicentennial year for Simpson College wraps up, we wanted to take some time to reflect on this hectic year and give our input on what went well and what didn’t go so well.

First and foremost, a big thumbs up to all of those involved in the implementation of the new curriculum. The Engaged Citizenship Curriculum will help propel Simpson above some of the other Liberal Arts colleges on the market. Students will be able to graduate in the same amount of time and get their Simpson degree without worry.

Roughly, July 5 will mark the day that Simpson will be breaking ground on the Kent Campus Center. The groundbreaking is not only long-overdo and a new campus center is badly needed for the Simpson campus. This campus center will hopefully be a selling point for future students, have some handicap accessibility and have more options for students.

Finally, the renovation of the Blank Performing Arts Center (BPAC) is something that deserves a big pat on the back. While it’s caused a few headaches, the renovations are moving along and you can see the progress. Once it’s done, students will have more class space and everyone will get their parking space back.

While Simpson did triumph this year, there were also some downfalls.

The communication between students, student groups and Student Government Association (SGA) was lacking this year. The frustration of who got what money all seemed to be a game of who was best liked or who was the most persistent. Things were not consistent throughout the year, which led to more frustration and misunderstanding.

There were also the downfalls at Simpson’s Got Talent. The amount of intoxicated students discouraging the acts was disrespectful and possibly ruined the event for future students. Some students took pride in their acts, and some members of the crowd ruined their night by being rude and downright mean.

Finally, there’s the issue with the Facebook page: “Simpson College: The Other Side.” This group offers complaints about Simpson—but does not offer any solution. This group is the definition of poor communication and laziness. If you have an issue with Simpson, work to resolve it—just complaining about it and doing nothing about it isn’t the way to solve anything.

Overall, Simpson has had its ups and downs, but hopefully we all come out stronger in the end.