Dear readers,
During a time of year in which we students tend to be more concerned with simply surviving until Winter Break and passing our classes, we decided it’s about time to get into the holiday spirit and start thinking about the things that make us smile. It’s time to reflect on what makes us thankful for our past, present and future opportunities and, most importantly, the natty champ we just took home in April.
It should come as no shock that we are thankful for sports. Sports are great. Sports give us overhyped football teams that fall flat against real competition, even if that real competition is your archrival. Sports also gives us basketball season, and thank God for basketball. Could you imagine if Duke wasn’t a basketball school? Could you? The answer is no, because that universe does not exist for at least another five years, then Coach K retires and we will fade into the sunset, joining UCLA and UNLV on a tranquil boat trip into mediocrity. (Just kidding, we have Jeff Capel. It’s going to be fine.)
Courts and fields and national titles aside, Duke students have a ton to be thankful for this year. The end of construction is in sight, although as seniors, we won’t be able to reap the benefits of our years of circumnavigating the scaffolding. The West Union will soon provide upgrades to campus dining, though it sadly won’t come with replacements for the beloved Armadillo Grill or Chick-fil-A. And in the short term, the unseasonably warm November has been wonderful, though it will only make winter seem that much harsher when it inevitably comes.
Of course, there is much to be thankful for beyond the aesthetic, culinary and seasonal—a campus that, though far from perfect, is making meaningful steps forward and providing opportunities for us all to learn and grow.
Stay thankful,
Nick + Emma
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