Like many things in college, I have procrastinated writing this until the very last minute. I think I am anxious about coming off as too preachy, being corny or leaving something out. Most of all, I think it is my way of denying that our college experience is coming to a close very soon.

It’s the last day of classes! For some of us, it’s our last day of class in college. All of these “last days” got me thinking about a bucket list of sorts—random places here and there I’m glad I’ve been to over the past four years.

Reflecting on my four years here, I have realized what an active role students play in creating a vibrant campus life. Whether through student groups, fraternities and sororities or businesses, many students desire to have an impact on campus beyond the classroom setting.

Last week, the Student Life editorial board addressed a recent controversy surrounding an SAT question in an editorial, “Eliminate cultural bias in the SAT.” The controversial question was an essay prompt from the SAT writing section that dealt with reality TV.

Supporting co-curricular activities through academic credit would demonstrate a commitment to fostering well-rounded, creatively thinking students. We are fortunate that there are many opportunities to be involved on our campus.

This past December, results from the 2009 Program International Student Assessment (PISA) were released to the public. The PISA is an international test in reading, math and science, which has been distributed every three years since 2000. The United States ranked twentieth internationally, and our country’s poor scores have been decried by politicians on both sides of the political aisle.

Now a national favorite, Rand Paul has an ambitious agenda for when he gets to Washington and that includes abolishing the Department of Education. This is all very disconcerting to me because it demonstrates a politician’s desire to put political survival above sound, pragmatic policy.