On the morning of Sept. 18, students, faculty and alumni stood united in front of Rose Administration Building and demanded an end to the segregation of The University of Alabama greek system. The stand was a reflection on the past with hopeful eyes staring into the future.

Two days later, we saw doors being opened for minority women to accept bids into sororities. We know the steps that have been made, and we will eagerly look toward the future for more steps in the right direction. This is only the beginning of a great transformation for the University.

Yet, we must acknowledge that the University is not becoming all it could be. We are still plagued by a multitude of problems that we quickly discard into finely groomed shrubbery. The University has quietly built up an illusory facade of unparalleled excellence. It is a petty veneer at best, crafted by careful advising and guidance from financially endowed alumni, educational consulting corporations and the Board of Trustees.

There are still deep schisms on campus based on greek letters, majors, extracurricular activities, honors programs and more; the University’s academic rankings are mediocre compared to the fantastical thinking that we are one of the best public institutions in the nation. The more than 350 students organizations rarely collaborate on endeavors. The financial model is based on a very risky hedge that more out-of-state students will pay more and more each year to attend and that we can keep issuing revenue bonds every fiscal year. The academic scholarships are cut from the best and brightest students because of ill-planned housing developments.

Oh, and Quidditch isn’t even played on the Quad anymore – what kind of muggle dislikes Quidditch? Those are just a few of the problems I could think of ,and I would continue ad nauseam if it weren’t for restrictions on column length.

The problems the University faces are not uniquely ours, though. Undergraduates across the nation now attend corporate universities where reputation, student amenities and crafted facades trumps all other characteristics. Fortunately, we now have the immense privilege of attending a school with a selfless leader in Judy Bonner.

As the University’s first female president, she stood strong on the steps of Rose Administration and witnessed students, faculty and alumni stand as one. She saw the future on the steps, and she reacted in the best way possible by immediately implementing forceful changes which yielded historic results. We, as students, held her, alumni and the board of trustees accountable for their inaction in combating widely known systematic racism. They must now hold us, the students, accountable for our actions.

While the Capstone still has its fair share of problems, I staunchly believe that the future is much brighter for every student because of last week’s events. It is now incumbent on every individual connected to the University – students, faculty, administrators, workers, alumni – to take our perceived ideal of what we want this University to be and transform it into reality. In the last decade the University has seen tremendous growth, the University must now get better. Let’s get better together.