Is it over yet?

“I am going to make it through this year if it kills me.” The song featuring these lyrics, by my favorite band The Mountain Goats, has been at the top of my daily playlist for months. It’s become an anthem and a mantra to keep me thinking positive and motivated. Now that the finish line is finally in sight, and my chance of survival actually seems promising, I can finally take a breath and reflect on the past year.

And boy is it depressing.

It’s been a rough couple of semesters, not just for myself, but for everyone I’ve talked to. I haven’t had a conversation with anyone who had a great time this year. Maybe it’s just that my friends are all overworked cynics, but I think I can safely say that this past year was a nightmare.

Classes aside, the atmosphere on campus over the past several months has been pretty grim. There’s been anger, hostility, tension and aggression. Frustrated faculty members voiced some serious concerns about one of their own, while outraged students readied themselves for war.

And that was only November. What chance did any of us have for a normal, peaceful semester?

Since then, things have only gone downhill. We lost a great part of PUC when Professor Clement Stacy passed away in November. The entire campus suffered through a week-long heat wave without air conditioning. It seemed like each week brought with it some new nightmare. “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me.”

And it nearly did kill me. Okay, that might be a bit overdramatic, but it sure feels that way. Two separate bouts of bronchitis and a nasty case of food poisoning sure didn’t help. New Year’s Eve was spent drinking NyQuil out of a martini glass. My dog that I’ve had since I was a teenager died right before Christmas. Stress. So much stress.

And while I spent most of this year trying to reach this point , now that it has arrived it’s somewhat bittersweet. For the first time since coming to PUC, I’m watching people I know graduate. It’s an odd experience, seeing them preparing to leave PUC behind. It’s nice knowing there is an eventual end to all of this, but it’s also discouraging to know that I still have so much to do before I can join them.  

Our own Editor-in-Chief Dune Lorenz is moving on to greener pastures, leaving the chaos and responsibility his job demands to fall squarely on my shoulders. And once the summer ends, the cycle begins anew.

I am going to make it through next year if it kills me.