Only at Rockhurst...

This past week, I’ve really noticed just how special this place is. I have always known it, but the past week, I was pleasantly reminded. We found out a few weeks ago that they planted over 30,000 tulips on campus. Each semester, Student Senate sponsors a “Town Hall” forum in which major players from each department on campus are invited to sit on a panel. They give a brief update of the status of their work for the university, and then the floor is opened up to students to ask questions. This is a great aspect of RU- the open communication between faculty, staff, and students. Whenever I have had a question, there have been multiple people on campus ready and willing to help me figure it out. And it really helps when they provide us with venues like the Town Hall Forum.

But back to the tulips. They planted over 30,000 of them around our campus, and it looks just beautiful. I was having a hard time getting out of bed one day last week (it rained a lot, and I knew I had a long day ahead of me). I reluctantly got up and made my way to class. As I was walking to my psychology class, I was admiring the newly-planted tulips when I noticed something out of place. There, right in the middle of the sea of red tulips, was a small batch of daffodils. I am not sure if it was done on purpose or if it was a pleasant accident, but it definitely made my morning. Daffodils are my favorite flowers, and it really brightened my day. Had I not gone to class that morning, I would have missed that wonderful opportunity to smile.

Another special thing about RU is our President, Father Curran. I know I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but I was reminded just how great he is this past week. Voices for Justice, the social justice club on campus, sponsored their annual Karaoke for a Cause. They invite representatives from campus organizations and departments to perform. Father Curran was the last act of the evening, and he performed a wonderful rendition of “Camp Granada”. As he was on stage, being silly and carefree, I said to my sorority sister sitting next to me, “This wouldn’t happen anywhere else.” She agreed with me. A couple of teachers also performed, and their version of “Sexy and I Know It” had the whole audience roaring with laughter. They ended up winning the show.

(The two professors who performed at Karaoke for a Cause. It was a blast!)

I honestly believe that you would be hard-pressed to find another university where the faculty, staff, and even the President of the school are so wonderfully connected to the students and so committed to making their college experience really awesome. I know it has been a tremendously important part of my time here, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.