As a ’79 graduate (Education/English) and former Entertainment Editor (main attraction: free concert tickets and records), I had a good laugh over a few of the suggestions made in “10 Ways to Improve Villanova.” In the corporate world, we have a saying regarding change. “This too shall pass.” If you wait long enough, wide ties and issues always come back.

“Watch Some Football.” We had the same problem. Nobody went to football games. So, we got rid of the football program. In our radical minds, we couldn’t justify the cost of operating a football team. The alumni went bonkers, and football came back. Now, twenty years later, nobody goes to football games.

“Basketball Ticket System.” We had a system. Whoever got there first got tickets. I guess that’s still not working. I’ve been in North Carolina for 12 years now. Take a lesson from the ACC. Why is Cameron so tough? Because the students ring the floor. Why isn’t the Dean Dome as exciting? You got it, the alumni have the best seats. Polite applause. Thank you.

“Re-pave the Quad. Build an Arts Center. ” These are precious. All anyone wanted back in the 70’s was a student center. It opened a few years after we graduated. Once they started building the Connelly Center some very impressive mudslides were created, not to mention some very scenic moments in the Quad and by the Chains. Oh well.

“24 Hour Study Facility.” This one’s realy funny. While we asked for later hours at the library, we had Tollentine for all-nighters. It was great. You could choose your own classroom. There were a couple of vending machines, but during exams, it wasn’t unusual for someone to borrow the security van (from the sleeping security guard) and make a pizza run.

“Change for Laundry.” Cool. You actually have laundry on campus? You got us on that one. There were a few machines in the basement of Corr, but they had a reputation for eating jeans and tee shirts. And back then, there wasn’t much else in a self-respecting student’s wardrobe. We went off-campus. Glad to hear of the improvement!

Steve Brechbiel1979 BS Education