As a senior primed to graduate in less than two months, I anticipate seeing my alma mater excel in the future and I hope this school takes advantage of the opportunities next year will create.,As the school year comes to a close, many students are looking forward to the changes and transformations that Emerson College will be experiencing this summer.

As a senior primed to graduate in less than two months, I anticipate seeing my alma mater excel in the future and I hope this school takes advantage of the opportunities next year will create.

I hope the future of Emerson College also embodies more diversity on campus, a greater sense of openness and community, more dialogue and an increased focus on effective communication.

I am optimistic the consolidation of the campus will create a greater sense of unity at Emerson. With many organizations moving from the Student Union to the new Piano Row residence hall, more students should begin to take advantage of the convenience of such a shift.

The Student Government Association (SGA) is one of many organizations that will be moving into new offices closer to the Little Building and the classroom buildings of 120 Boylston and 180 Tremont streets.

This means students will not only have better access to their student representatives, but will also have the chance to learn about the SGA and become more involved. SGA members themselves will also be closer to their constituents, who will live in and use the facilities of Piano Row, which will help in promoting SGA-sponsored activities, events and trips.

In the years to come, I also hope that Emerson College and its students become more open to diversity. Unfortunately, cultural, racial and political diversity are all sorely lacking here. What Emerson desperately needs is to show that our school is open to all kinds of people.

I have written extensively about how many members of the student body claim to be very tolerant of all kinds of people, but when they are presented with a differing viewpoint, they reject it out of spite.

At a school that prides itself on diversity, such an environment greatly disappoints me and I hope that in the future, students become more open to the ideals that they preach. In this vein, I also hope that members of our student body become more conscious of how certain feelings and beliefs affect other people.

There is a fine line between freedom of speech and freedom to offend. I hope there is a continuing debate on this campus as to where that line is.

Lastly, Emerson College prides itself on “Bringing Innovation to Communication and the Arts.” However, communication is lacking at this institution. Dialogue between organizations, departments and students must be improved. This is a relatively small school and yet so many of our problems stem from poor communication. In the years to come, departments, organizations and people should work together as a collective whole.

Administration officials, organization presidents, department chairs, faculty members and student leaders should be involved in a constant discourse about what our school is doing to meet the needs of its students.

These officials should then create campaigns to reach out to all members of the Emerson community so each student will be able to take more active roles in our community.

I articulate these hopes not because I am embarrassed or disappointed by my attendance at this school. I write them because I have taken pride in my Emerson experience and have seen the opportunities and possibilities our school has and hope that everyone takes advantage of them.

I look forward to watching Emerson College succeed even more fully in the years to come and I wish all members of the Emerson community the best of luck in bringing such hopes into fruition.