Writing a new chapter
September 20, 2006
Kristin Fryer
There’s something beautiful about a blank page. A page without confining lines and margins offers me the freedom to write sideways and upside down, to doodle and draw diagrams, to let the pen flow however I see fit. A blank page does not care what I have written previously; each time I pick up my journal to write, it allows me to begin fresh, to start anew.
In my sophomore year, I mustered up the courage to take my first upper level philosophy course. The class had a slightly unorthodox take home final: over the course of the semester, I was meant to personally engage the class material and keep a journal of my thoughts. Following the first class, I found myself in the TWU bookstore, searching for an unlined journal, a book of blank pages on which I could map my existential journey.
When I received my journal back at the end of the course, my professor had left an interesting comment: “Keep this journal and read it every decade—your future assessments of its thoughts will be telling.”
It has been only two years, but I have already re-read its contents a number of times. Even now, the words I have written are very telling. At times, my entries reflect a level of intense self-understanding that results only from serious spiritual and intellectual self-interrogation. But other times, my thoughts are an incoherent stream of disillusionment and frustration, like black ink spilt all over a crisp white void. Whether profound or inarticulate, these entries return me to what is essentially “me,” reminding me of who I was, who I am and who I could be.
The last few pages of TWU’s history record difficulty and disappointment. Declining enrolment resulted in lay-offs and cutbacks across campus. Allegations of sexual harassment were raised against our outgoing president, Dr. Neil Snider, which caused many students to question the integrity of the university and its administration.
We cannot ignore these events, but must learn from these failures and move forward. With a new president directing the university, TWU has the opportunity to start on a blank page, to rediscover its mission and implement it.
When I asked President Raymond how the university plans to renew itself this year, his response was simple.
“We turn the page and we write a new chapter.”
This chapter, he added, will be written by multiple authors who, when they were finished, will pass the pen and allow others to write.
Turning the page does not mean that we dismiss what has already been written. Track down a copy of Trinity Western University: Stories of Faith and Transformation, and you will discover TWU’s remarkable and often miraculous history of excellence, faith and community. These pages are worth re-reading.
This year, pages will be written that will define Trinity Western University for years to come. Our Board of Governors is in the process of creating a policy framework that will outline the Board’s structure and that of the university. By the end of the year, the university will have a new strategic plan that will map out its next five years.
As students and members of the TWU community, we each have the opportunity to pick up a pen and contribute to the story that is being written. It is up to us to join the discussion and let our voices be heard.
Now you go...
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