Today, UC Davis’ Winter Quarter begins. There’s always a sense of excitement and newness as a quarter begins. That’s the beauty of the academic calendar, right? Every few months, everything changes: new classes, new schedules, new expectations, new rhythm of life. But this one holds some different wonderings for students: what will carry over from the way the last quarter ended (with pepper spray, tents, and media everywhere)? Will tuition and fees skyrocket? How much of that can they balance along with their studies?
The issues facing students in the UC system and at many other colleges are big ones. And it’s all wrapped up in the questions about the economy and individual’s futures: should college education be affordable and accessible to all? Is a degree necessary to finding a living-wage earning job? Are any of those jobs even going to be available when they graduate?
And yet, the students by and large are not losing hope. They press on, finding ways to finance their educations, working more jobs, finishing school sooner. Students’ tenacity and resolve amaze me. I don’t know what this quarter, or this year, hold for this campus (and this campus ministry). I know that we will be here to help discern God’s will in the midst of much anxiety, and to be looking for places where the Spirit is active and thriving. Campus Ministry will provide hospitality, a respite, and a sacred space to bring those longings and expectations. I’m so grateful to be here doing this ministry at this time, in this place.