The perfect storm

The new sesquicentennial sculpture on campus has aroused a lot of conversation. The poem that initially inspired the sculpture describes the growing and turning of the Gustavus community, and while this does represent much of what Gustavus is, the sculpture itself seems to represent another piece of what Gustavus is, a piece of its history, the infamous Tornado of 1998.

The tornado came through campus fourteen years ago and was, up to that point, the greatest natural disaster to ever hit a college campus (Hurricane Katrina hitting Tulane University in New Orleans was the only other natural disaster on a college campus to inflict more damage).

Iconic institutions of campus were badly damaged including, but not limited to, the Old Main clock tower and the Chapel spire. The question “Will Gustavus be able to go on?” became an all too real concern.

But Gustavus did come back. We are here today because of the hard work of the entire Gustavus community. It was hard work; it was trying, but by representing and reaffirming the five pillars of Gustavus (faith, justice, service, community and excellence) they rebuilt our home and made sure that Gustavus once again was Gustavus.

Of course, the recreation of this horrific event in Gustavus’ history is not what this statue was intended to do. This statue commemorates the 150th year of Gustavus’ existence. It was constructed upon a brand new mall complete with a pseudo-stone amphitheater, a granite timeline of new campus buildings and Gustavus presidents, as well as a plethora of new trees and of course, that new squishy green grass.

But still, I cannot help but think about the incredible symbolism manifested in the sesquicentennial sculpture. As Gustavus finds itself in a more than desperate budget crunch where department funds are being slashed, tuition is going up and the renovations in academic buildings have been halted, I find myself genuinely concerned about where and how Gustavus is spending my tuition dollars as well as alumni and donor donations. While the new landscape additions may be aesthetically pleasing, they do not teach us anything about justice, community, service, faith or excellence. We learn those things from our professors, from our advisors, from our friends and from our classmates; not from trees, timelines or tornados.

Amidst the economic downturn, Gustavus, like many other institutions, is facing hard times. The proverbial storm clouds are condensing over Gustavus as financial cuts slice into almost every budget on campus. My question is why these budget cuts are happening in academic departments rather than in the schools landscaping budget. Such allocations of funds are shockingly ironic as the new statue on campus literally places a tornado at the heart of this campus.

While this storm may be more abstract than the last, the consequences will be just as devastating. Again, as in the last tornado, iconic institutions of Gustavus are being threatened. Gustavus is not about landscaping, it is about an education built around a thoughtful community that works together, supports each other, respects each other, and learns from each other.

This is about priorities. What do we as an institution and a community value? Do we value the pillars of faith, justice, service, community and excellence? They are printed on banners across campus, they are written on the pillars in the caf, but where are they in this storm.  If the people making the decisions about how funds are being spent value things such as landscaping over the pillars that define what Gustavus is, then maybe we may not fare as well in this storm as in the last.