It’s about to be summer, and we are feeling pretty bittersweet as we say goodbye to the Class of 2024. The seniors are some of our biggest role models and mentors, and we would not be here as students and people without them. Looking back, so much has happened from the beginning of the year to now, and it is hard to imagine a time when campus was this busy.

About 70 community members, mainly students, attended a protest calling for Chancellor Andrew Martin to make a statement on violence in Gaza, condemn Islamophobia, and cut Washington University’s financial ties with Boeing, Dec. 7.

Chancellor Andrew Martin published an online statement about free speech and responsibility amid community activism related to violence in Israel and in Palestine. Nov 29. 

In his statement, Martin condemned the phrase “from the river to the sea,” which elicited responses of support from those who say it is antisemitic and opposition from those who say it is a Palestinian liberation chant. 

In the weeks following the start of the Israel-Hamas war, students at Washington University have reported increased instances of Islamophobia and antisemitism.

Two rallies on Washington University’s Mudd Field were scheduled for Friday morning in response to the latest Israel-Hamas war: One to show support for Israel, and another to protest the Israeli government’s blockade of food, water, and electricity in Gaza. 

Chancellor Andrew Martin released a statement on Oct. 10 on behalf of the Washington University administration in response to the “devastating events in Israel and Gaza” that occurred over the weekend.

A young American Basswood tree was planted in the northeast corner of Brookings Quadrangle in the presence of about 50 Washington University community members, Sept. 20. 

Washington University ranked No. 24 in the annual Best National University Rankings list by U.S. News & World Report, nine spots lower than last year’s No. 15 ranking.

Over the course of the school year, Student Life spoke with a number of students, faculty, and administrators who detailed many of the stressors students at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts face, separate from those experienced by students in other colleges at Washington University. These stressors include professor expectations and guidance, workload, material fees, studio culture, and the demands of art.

The event “What Would You Do if You Only Had One Week to Live?” fostered dialogue among students and faculty on the science of happiness and finding meaning in a time-limited life, April 12.