BY MARISSA BARRIUSO / VN STAFF WRITER
I’m a junior at Detroit Mercy, and there have been many things that have made me fall in love with this school.
There have also been things I wish I could change.
The five most prominent things that I love at the university are my major, the size of the campus, Greek life, extracurricular activities and the people I have met.
This year has brought a lot of changes, starting with my major.
Over the summer, I decided to switch to communication studies and have fallen in love with it.
My new major has allowed me to express myself creatively instead of settling for a career that isn’t for me.
I’ve explored new hobbies as well as begun to work on what I love: photography.
Another thing I love about Detroit Mercy is the size of the campus.
Our little campus, at McNichols and Livernois, has brought me a lot of cherished memories already.
With total undergraduate enrollment under 3,000, our college has an advantage over larger schools.
Class sizes tend to be small, which has helped me to get to know my professors and other students almost instantly.
Every day I see people that I know and that I am friends with – even when I’m just walking from my car to class.
You also can get from one side of campus to the other in less than ten minutes, which I appreciate when in a hurry.
Regarding Greek life, I rushed Tri Sigma second semester of my freshman year and I’m so glad I did.
I never imagined myself as a sorority girl but when I saw how strong the relationships were between sisters I knew I wanted to have that.
Greek life has brought me amazing opportunities that I will always cherish – from learning leadership skills to volunteering for great causes.
No matter the sorority or frat, Greek life brings people together to build lifelong friendships.
Detroit Mercy also offers a multitude of extracurriculars of which I have been lucky enough to be a part.
From Biology Club to Cru, there is an organization for everyone.
Two groups I’m currently involved with are the university pep band and the honors program.
These extracurriculars do keep me busy but I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Pep band has given me the ability to continue playing music while also having fun at basketball games.
The honors program allows me to challenge myself intellectually through honors classes, encouraging me to take classes outside of my major and, thus, making me more well-rounded and versatile for the future.
The last major thing I love about Detroit Mercy is all of the people I’ve met here.
I’ve gotten to know people from all walks of life.
Friendships formed at the university can last a lifetime.
Whether at work, through a club or in class, you are bound to connect with some truly great people.
Even with all those positives, I do wish I could change a few things.
The university could really step up its game when it comes to the food offered.
One of the biggest reasons I moved from a dorm to an apartment was the food served in TDR.
Sometimes food would be cold or just plain unappetizing.
Not every day is horrible in the cafeteria but it could definitely use some improvements.
Two other changes I’d like to see: parking and entrances.
Freshmen enrollment is up this year, which has caused an issue with the number of parking spots available to students.
It’s almost a daily occurrence for me to have to park in the far back of the parking lot.
I think if the university added more lots or surrendered some of the faculty spots, it would make students’ days a bit better.
The problem with the entrances is related to this.
Closing the Livernois entrance has inconvenienced students.
Traffic is horrific if you try to leave campus after a class has just gotten out.
And it makes it difficult to go to any restaurants or shops on Livernois, the fashion avenue, because you must drive all the way around campus just to get out of the McNichols entrance.
McNichols Road has almost no fast food or shopping areas for students.
Reopen the entrance along Livernois. It would be a relief to many of us.
Overall, Detroit Mercy doesn’t have a lot of faults, in my view.
There are things I love and things I wish I could chance.
But the one thing I’d never wish would be to go to a different school.
Detroit Mercy has always been the one for me.
