Becoming a university, a completely renovated gym and a much more crowded campus are only some of the major changes Cabrini College is undergoing.
In addition to the bigger and more visual changes, there have also been some changes in terms of demographics and the admittance of students.
For the class of 2016 as well as alumni, it is interesting to look back and reflect on all that has changed since they first stepped foot on the campus as freshman.
Caitlin Poole is a senior early childhood and special education major. Aside from some of the bigger changes, Poole has also seen smaller ones as well since she came to Cabrini in the fall of 2012.
“Each year I have definitely noticed little upgrades being made to the campus,” Poole said. “I think even the smaller changes have really made a difference.”
Having lived in Xavier, West, East and the apartments, Poole has enjoyed living on campus all four years.
Like many students who choose to live on campus, Poole has noticed how her housing experiences have changed from year to year.
“As a freshman, it’s nice because you meet all your friends in the residence halls and they usually live right next door to you,” Poole said. “In sophomore year, it can be harder to get close to one another and see each other as often as you did when you were freshman.”
Poole has enjoyed West and the apartments the most because she has been able to live with some of her closest friends in a much bigger and private setting.
Senior English major Sean Tallon has also lived on campus all four years. He feels similarly to Poole about how each housing experience can feel different throughout students’ four years.
“I think my favorite place to live was Xavier when I was a freshman,” Tallon said. “I was still so young and ignorant about how the world works.”
Tallon also highlighted on some of the bigger changes he has noticed in terms of the appearance of the overall campus as well as to some of the residence halls.
“The biggest changes to the residence halls in all my four years here is the reopening of the Dixon House and also the recent water pipe bursting in Woodcrest,” Tallon said. “One more noticeable change has been the installation of all of those speed bumps around campus.”
Brandon Mazepa is a 2015 graduate of Cabrini. Recognizing some of the changes Cabrini has undergone, Mazepa still looks back on the very first time he came to Cabrini in 2010 with fond memories.
“When it comes to the campus as a whole, it is still the beautiful campus that I toured when I was a senior in high school,” Mazepa said. “There have definitely been some changes and additions, but I believe they were based off of what the students wanted to see and are definitely for the greater good.”
Mazepa believes renovations that were done on the cafeteria, as well as adding more places to dine and more outdoor activities have made the campus a much more student friendly environment.
“In the café, the salad bar used to be all metal and would have wheels so you could roll it away,” Mazepa said. “From that point out, I think it was evident that Cabrini was listening to the students and allowing us to see the changes that we would like.”
Mazepa also believes the current additions being done to the Dixon Center are new and fresh and largely based off of what the majority of the students wanted.
Mazepa graduated with a degree in English and was very involved on campus.
“I was on the swim team,” Mazepa said. “I remember as a freshman, the seniors on the swim team would tell me how lucky I was and all the great changes that were to come.”
In terms of the admittance of students and the demographics, Poole, Tallon and Mazepa all feel similarly.
“I personally believe Cabrini has developed more of a habit of accepting anyone and everyone,” Tallon said. “A big change I have noticed is that they do not even require SAT scores anymore.”
Mazepa added that he noticed changes in terms of admittance and what kind of a school Cabrini has become.
“The campus without a doubt has become more diversified since I was a freshman, which is definitely not a bad thing,” Mazepa said. “How boring would the school be if everyone looked, acted and had all the same experiences?”
Poole looks back specifically on growth since her freshman year.
“I feel as though our school has become more diverse, which is great to see how open our campus has become,” Poole said. “For this reason alone, I think Mother Cabrini is looking down and smiling on our campus and the students.”
