Pace’s tuition and housing costs are higher than most schools in the surrounding area, especially compared to schools in the SUNY and CUNY systems and the costs are more likely going to continue to increase. So it is understandable how some students from all three campuses may feel let down by the university and what it has to offer.

Having been here since I was a freshman, I can say that the student body is one of the best parts of the university. They want to make any sort of positive impact within their campus community, no matter how big or small and never stop learning about the world around them. This is what I think that the spirit of any college should be.

With that being said, on the other hand, there are a lot of students on both campuses whom I feel are content with being discontent. Because they may feel undervalued by the university, a lot of them choose not to attend any on-campus events, while many others just go to receive free food and pizza and leave immediately after. While I understand how busy and chaotic college life can be, I feel like this action from some students goes against Pace’s motto of Opportunitas.

President of the Student Government Association on the Pleasantville campus, Madia Bestman, echoes this sentiment and feels that not a lot of students take full advantage of all of the opportunities that Pace can offer them.

“I feel like the few people that do [take full advantage] do mostly a lot [on campus],” she said. “[Students] who don’t complain that there is nothing here, but they are not willing to go out and see what Pace has to offer them.”

Bestman also thinks that when some students do attend events, they go for the free stuff and free food that is offered more than they go for the actual event.

General student attendance at events has increased this semester, however. According to Bestman, this could be because this semester, the Student Government has been trying to encourage student organizations to not just hold any event, but to host events with meaning.

“I [also] think that [student organizations] are doing more collaborations with each other, which also helps their own members and the other club’s members come together,” she said.

College life may be difficult, but we are all going through this journey together and if we take more advantage of what Pace has to offer and stop being so content with the status quo, we will have a much more memorable and enriching college experience, and who knows, maybe our overall opinion about the school will not be so harsh.