Xavier alumni help out on campus

When people choose Xavier as the place to spend their next four years, they do not choose it based

on the wild party scene. There is none. They don't make their selection based on which fraternities or

sororities it offers. It doesn't offer any. Nor do they, most of them, pick based on the elaborate and

e n o r m o u s buildings and amenities it offers, because, until recently, there were very few. We are the Xavier Newswire believe if you surveyed a majority of Xavier students about why they selected Xavier, you'd probably find that the community feeling it emanates is among the top reasons. Possibly the greatest endorsement of a university is when alumni keep returning, not only to visit or to donate to the Annual Fund,  but also to teach. Professors who studied at Xavier for their undergraduate or graduate degrees cite its community feel and special atmosphere as their reasons for returning, even though the campus is drastically different now than when they were students. The fact that Xavier can retain

its community feel even through various external and internal transformations is a great compliment.

Perhaps even greater is the fact that this community feel is something that professors desire

because it strengthens the bonds between students and faculty and enriches the educational experiences for both parties. Monetary donations and gifts from alumni can buy us fancy buildings and updated technologies for which, of course, we are eternally grateful. But, let's face it, without professors we wouldn't even exists as a university. Sure, Xavier has its quirks: the CORE, which is unbearable for

some; the new buildings, which, for those who remember the days when the Dorothy Day House was literally a house can be a a bit disconcerting; even the lack of on-campus dining selections compared to other universities faces some criticism. But we have one thing they don't have: professors who take such pride in their alma mater that they chose to spend not just four years, but their entire lives, dedicated to that place. And we think that's pretty amazing.