Hello fellow Greyhounds, and welcome back to Charm City for what is sure to be another great year here at Loyola! We here at The Greyhound are eager and ready to get back into action and start off the semester with some great coverage of our school.

Thumbs Up. Homecoming? We’re thrilled. I’ve honestly been craving a cheesy college tradition to fulfill my childhood expectations for what college would be like since I stepped foot on campus during my first year, and a homecoming just might be able to make those dreams come true. The thought of a parade, floats, and a day dedicated to celebrating Greyhound pride sounds like the perfect way to kick off the year. Homecoming will also be a great opportunity for students to not only connect with one another, but to also network with alumni who return to the Evergreen campus to deck out in some green and grey. Though we won’t have a football game to cap off the event, I’m sure Loyola will be able to put its own spin on the nationwide tradition and make it a day no one will ever forget.

Thumbs Down. No more take-out from Boulder. How are we supposed to eat-and-run to classes, meetings, and other extracurricular activities if we can no longer take out food? It seems that no one has given a reason just as to why take-out boxes are out of the picture: whether it has to do with food waste or environmental consciousness, no one knows for sure. The sudden (and perhaps mysterious?) disappearance of take-out boxes serves as a major inconvenience for those of us who are constantly on the go (and honestly, who isn’t?), and we’re not about it. The make-shift plate-stacked-on-top-of-another-plate contraption is not the best look, and if you see me on the quad with food spilt on my clothes trying to make it to class on time, you know what happened.

Thumbs Up. A fresh start for a new semester. New dorm/apartment, new roommates. I’ve always looked at a new school year as an opportunity to set new goals for myself and to try new things I never got around to before. As an upperclassmen, I’ve learned that joining clubs that interest me and seeking out leadership roles within them has been one of the best ways for me to meet new people and to really feel involved on campus. Having the opportunity to host events and start certain conversations on campus is not only crucial to engaging the community, but also a great way to make new friends. The Activities Fair, which will be on the Quad on Sept. 11 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., is the perfect opportunity to check out your options. Of course, a new semester also means a brand new opportunity to create a Baltimore bucket list and explore all that Charm City has to offer. Baltimore is filled with a wide range of art, music, crafts, and community events and I can’t wait to attend my fair share this fall!

Thumbs Down. This summer heat. Nothing gets us more excited to start classes than having to walk in sweltering heat! The heat has been relentless over the past few days, making move-in and getting around campus a sweaty endeavor. Seniors have especially been shocked at just how far away senior housing actually is from main campus, after years of easily being able to make it to any class in under ten minutes (walking at a brisk pace, of course). Luckily, the shuttles have been pretty reliable over the past few days, and magically appear beside you right when you need them— let’s just hope it stays that way! But after a week of temperature in the 90s, we trade in our sweaty tees for rain jackets for some showers starting on Thursday and going into next week…Hardly a fair trade, if you ask me.

Thumbs Up. The new Reading Room and Center for Intercultural Engagement  (CIE). The third floor of the Student Center has always been what I consider a hidden gem on campus. The Reading Room is a spot that I love going to in between classes to do work in, and the remodel is making sure that I’m here to stay! Long gone are the excess Boulder booths and the bar that had nothing more to offer than paper towels. The new Reading Room is decked out with swanky new furniture with aesthetically pleasing prints, giant white boards, and conference tables perfect for getting group work done. With this new renovation comes a makeover and expansion of what was formally known as the Claver Multicultural Center (CMC), which has now been renamed the Center for Intercultural Engagement (CIE). In this new space filled with colorful furniture and glass walls, students of color who are part of groups like African, Latino, Asian, and Native American (ALANA) Services, Asian Cultural Alliance (ACA), and Black Student Association (BSA) are able to take up a larger, more visible physical space on campus for their meetings and other gatherings.

Thumbs Down: Waking up for early morning classes. Let’s face it: We here at Loyola are spoiled when it comes to how close our dorms are to main campus, but whether you’re a quick walk over the bridge or a 30-minute trek from Rahner, no one wants to wake up before the sun has visibly risen and sit in class before others have even eaten breakfast. I am personally dreading having to wake up for my 8 a.m. class, and I can’t say I fully knew the commitment I was making when I registered back in the spring. Luckily, the shuttle cut down my half-hour journey to a quick seven-minute one, so let’s hope I wake up early enough to catch it every morning (knowing myself, I probably won’t). May the odds be ever in my favor, and yours too!

Good luck to everyone on their first week of classes. Be sure to follow the Greyhound on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest campus updates. Keep a look out for some Thumbs Up Thumbs Down polls on our Instragram story!