Here’s a newsflash: Marquette cares about what you and I think.

“Since when?” you ask, slightly puzzled at this revelation.

Well, since November 5 and the Student Leadership Summit.

Dozens of members of the Marquette community – including myself – gathered in the Alumni Memorial Union to identify issues concerning students, evaluate problems, and brainstorm solutions.

We laid out a “Blueprint for Change” with lots of ideas that will help make Marquette great.

For instance, the group evaluating use of the AMU came up with all kinds of improvements, like opening a food court and student lounge to create community in what is currently a conference center.

My own group considered issues of student participation and representation.

One step towards creating a culture of engagement is getting our student leaders to proactively solicit students’ opinions rather than passively holding formal “office hours” and fora.

We thought big picture, and one clear conclusion is that we need student representation on the Board of Trustees. As members of the University community, we deserve to have our voices heard on major decisions.

But we also need students there to listen, passing information back to the student body, demystifying the Board and its actions.

Those are just a few of the multitude of ideas that flowed forth. And this event was only the beginning (hopefully).

If I had to describe the day in a word, I’d choose “exciting.”

Considering the bright future on Marquette’s horizon is exciting.

The goosebumps came at the end, though, when in a circle of flickering candles we were reminded again of the power of one – one person, one idea (one publication) – to make a real, positive impact on our Marquette community and the world.

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