Change is inevitable.
Everything undergoes change from time to time. But - take it from a fifth-year senior - few things are changing more rapidly than ASU.
Just five years ago, our campus looked very much different than it does now.
You know the ASU Foundation Building? That used to be a pay parking lot for which, if you happened to stay on campus past 10:30 p.m., your fee for the day was voided.
All that construction on Apache Boulevard where the new residence halls will be? That was a much larger parking lot that didn't have an electric gate you needed a pass for - perfect for parking illegally for a single class.
There was no Lattie F. Coor Hall and neither of the giant Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Buildings I and II existed. One guess what was in those places.
What is the common theme here? Yes, a loss of parking to be sure, but the bigger issue is ASU just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
When I arrived, it was already among the top five biggest colleges in the country. That was one reason I wanted to come here. I didn't want an intimate school setting -- I wanted a major university.
But as my time in Tempe is winding down, I actually believe the land of the Sun Devils has gotten too big. For years, I grinned and bared the parking tickets, traffic and great amount of effort it took to get to the classes my parents were paying thousands of dollars for. I just loved being on this campus.
But now, battling my fifth year of construction delays, reduction of those 20-minute loading zones - another parking secret - and taking half an hour to get from Mill Avenue to Rural Road via University Drive, I'm almost tired of it all. Almost.
Every tiny lot, every motorcycle space, every bit of spare land that was on this campus for decades seemingly has been used up. Realizing this, ASU officials have vowed to eventually have more than 20,000 students on the Polytechnic campus, which housed 10 percent of that number five years ago, and the Downtown campus, which didn't exist five years ago. And a big futuristic transportation contraption called a light rail will hook it all up.
Meanwhile, more students are being asked to live on campus instead of commute, locations of colleges are in the process of being rearranged, and freshmen are forced to buy a meal plan.
There are positives that come with change too, however. For instance, ASU's education reputation is skyrocketing, the school is adding new majors all the time and more students are getting an education here.
But is all the commotion really worth it? Can one institution handle such monumental changes? What other liberties will students have to sacrifice to cram more people in? It all remains to be seen, but as a soon-to-be-alumnus, I sincerely hope everything works out.
My worst fear is that President Michael Crow and his administration will leave just as all the changes are complete, leaving a state of chaos and no administrator in the country to hire that has experience running such a massive place.
By the way, a few other things I miss about the ASU that was here when I got here:
-There was a giant salad bar on the north side of the Memorial Union that was actually pretty decent, much better than the horrible Sodexho-created imitation restaurants there now.
-There was no mostly-empty Mamacita's Cantina or Daisy Dukes or whatever it's called now. It was Dos Gringos, always packed, always a good time and a two-minute walk across the street. Then, just as I turned 21, Dos moved to nearly a driving-distance away.
-Did I mention tuition has nearly tripled?
Christopher Drexel is a journalism senior. Reach him at drex1_phx@hotmail.com.
