Hail Fair Dana

As many of you have heard, Dana College, has closed. Many of you who find yourself reading this were also students there, but some of you were not. For those of you that were not, I'd like to tell you that you missed out on something wonderful, but you won't believe me. To any outside person, Dana College is the same as every other small liberal arts school. It cost a lot of money, you got an education, you made close friends, and you were prepared for life, just like every other college. But Dana had something else. It's hard to put your finger on just what it was, but Dana Alums are a different breed of people. You can tell a Dana Alum by the way they perceive the world around them. That's what all those "extra" classes Dana made you take did.

For the recent students that missed out on "Foundations," or whatever it was before it was called "Foundations," you missed out on a lot. Sure, it was just another class when you were taking it, but now, when you look back, it truly did set your foundation. LARP was the bane of most student's existence, but for those student's that did the work (or even half the work), they grew. Senior Sem. was just a bunch of extra papers when you didn't have time to do the ones for your "real" classes, but when all's said and done, it did force you to look inside and drag out what was there. The "true" Dana Alums know what I'm talking about, and yes there is a difference from being a Dana Graduate, and being an Alumnus.

You see, Dana itself was a very easy place to hate when you were there. It cost a lot of money; most profs. took attendance; there were rules for campus living; and most of the time it seemed like you were still stuck in High School. The graduates that legitimately viewed Dana College as "Dana High," and didn't change from the moment they walked onto campus to the moment they walked across the stage at graduation, are Dana Graduates. They did their time, complained and got out. The Dana Alum, however, had a change that occurred that I've not seen from other students. Dana's professors wanted to be there, why else would you stay somewhere where you get paid less than a public school teacher? It wasn't a job to them, and this fact molded students into Dana Alum. Dana Profs forced you into thinking a certain way and challenging your belief system, no matter if you agreed with them or not.

Dana wasn't just about academics though, far from it. It was about experiencing something unique. All students form strong friendships in college no matter where they go. At Dana, students get to know almost everyone on campus. You may not know someone's name, but you know who they are (Dana people, you know what I mean). You form bonds that you know will last a lifetime. Personally, there are people I was close to at Dana, that I haven't seen or spoken to in years, but I know if saw them today, it would be like we had been speaking every day since the last time we saw each other.

These are just a few of the things that happen to a person when their home is on the hill, but there are many more wonderful things. In all my time at Dana, we made fun of the "Dana Difference." But now, looking back, I see what that difference is. It's the people. It's not just the students and faculty, but the staff and Alumni as well.

During this difficult time my heart and prayer go out to the faculty that put their hearts and souls into what they did, not because of the check, but because they loved their students, and wanted to pass on their knowledge. To the staff that made the college feel like a second home and to the current students that now have to experience college without Dana. All of you will weather the storm, I have no doubts. For we are Vikings and though our little barks may get tossed violently in the storm, we always make it to our destination (and even enjoy a little pillaging when we get there).