Being one of the largest community colleges in the country, College of DuPage has amazing faculty and facilities that make earning a valuable education a positive experience. That being said, no school is perfect, so for the new year we’ve come up with a to-do list of things the college could improve on so all our experiences here can be even more enjoyable.

1. The food. If you’re just starting your journey here at COD, you’re likely to think the offerings at the cafeteria and the various food vendors found around campus are, at the least, pretty decent. It won’t however take you long to realize that all anybody sells here is really just sandwiches. Which, if we’re being honest, we can just bring from home. It’s far past time for the college to introduce some diversity to our rather limited food options on campus. After all, variety, and maybe Chipotle, is the spice of life.

2. The parking. Yes, we said it. It’s a problem. Having to drive around for what feels like a century only to finally find a spot in the middle of nowhere–aka the Chaparral Fitness Center–then having to walk another decade all just to be late for your class is quite depressing. We know there’s the shuttle buses, but, we need more to be done. As the faculty parking lots are so far out, many end up parking in the student lots. Requiring all faculty to park in the designated  spots could go a long way in opening up spaces for students.  Let’s prioritize expanding parking so students will no longer have to prioritize Olympic-style racewalking to classes and having a mini-panic attack driving around for far too long in the parking lot.

3. Speaking of panic attacks, the college could stand to do more to help students who may be having anxiety or other mental health issues. Late last year our News Editor reported there were only two mental health counselors for over 28,000 students. This has led to many students having to be waitlisted when seeking help from the Mental Health department at the college. Students should definitely be able to speak to someone immediately in these moments of crisis as every minute counts.  

4. The closing of the Early Childhood Center. This decision seems questionable when you consider many people have children and have greatly benefitted from having somewhere on campus for those children to stay. Learning opportunities will also be lost as the center is home to several teaching programs. We understand a possible reason behind the center closing might be that it is being underutilized, but that is probably a direct result of the center not being promoted to students heavily enough.

Improving the environment for students should always be a top priority for any college. We truly believe that if these issues were addressed, it would ultimately make the college a better place for students to learn and grow.