If you’ve had some excellent summer adventures, this might not be the best welcome you’ve received in a while. But like it or not, class is in session.
Whether you’re new or returning to ASU, your favorite campus newspaper wants to be the first to greet you as you step foot on this very hot campus — and don’t forget, we make a great companion for the shade.
First things first: We don’t know why the semester starts on a Thursday. We all could’ve used that extra weekend, and this schedule is sure to throw off our internal calendars for a while. (Friendly reminder, don’t go to your Monday classes today.)
When you’re not frying in the triple-digit temps or contemplating vengeance on whoever created the syllabus, we’d like to take a moment to update you on what you might have missed around ASU.
- More students than ever before moved into ASU, with 13,000 students across four campuses, and about 10,000 on the Tempe campus alone. The University boasted a “cruise-ship” style check-in, with staff members hauling students’ belongings from their cars to their dorms, and even a forklift at one dorm to help moving into the second and third floors.
- The Tempe campus apparently gained so many people that it now has its own Walmart. Sure, the “pop-up” store might be gone at the end of today, but there are established towns across America without yellow smiley faces rolling back prices. Our only hope is that this Walmart doesn’t drive our favorite stores out of the Memorial Union. And with any luck, we can upgrade to a Target next year.
- Tempe Town Lake decided to move on. After 11 years, a rubber dam on the billion-gallon man-made lake burst, sending the water into a dry riverbed and leaving behind all the fish that called it home. City officials plan to repair, refill and reopen the lake by Nov. 1, just in time for the Ironman Arizona, but considering the problems that pushed back the original opening of the lake, we’re unsure just how this will play out.
- The Pac-10 Conference finally embraced the winds of change, announcing the additions of Colorado and Utah to an already stacked conference. The additions won’t take affect for at least one season, but the conference’s immediate focus on rejuvenating a largely stale M.O. is a refreshing way to start a new year.
- For better or worse, Arizona became the focus of national attention. This started in the spring, but between immigration and gun laws, it was hard to go a day without seeing the Arizona desert on CNN. Gov. Jan Brewer attained celebrity status by being compared to Sarah Palin, and just about everyone showing how tough they are on immigration visited our border. No matter what your take is on it, you’re now in Arizona — and it’s time for class.
