"The bedrock of our society is family, and if that family is too fragile, we will not know what to do." These words spoken by journalist Anna Quindlen in the University Center Ballroom on May 1, are not only inspirational, but truthful as well. After some time of reflection, the editors of the Delphian have chosen to take Quindlen's message one step further. If the bedrock of society in general is family, then the bedrock of our college society must be each other, for the Adelphi population is in essence, one large family.

Our purpose on this campus is to gain an education. However, please note that education isn't just math, science, history and English; it goes way beyond that. Education is in reality, evidence of growth. To have learned something means to have gained experience, to have retained knowledge from a situation that has passed. Each and every day, we are educating ourselves, not only in the classroom, but outside those walls as well. We are here to improve ourselves and to become better people. Mistakes will be made, for that is usually the most effective way to learn. How else can any of this be accomplished without the support of each other?

This philosophy reminded the editors of the Delphian of a message from a very special friend.. He told us that when he was in college, he didn't even know the name of his school's president. In fact, he said that none of the students he knew felt that anyone in their school's entire administration was of any importance to them. He told us what was really important to him and his fellow students. He spoke of that education that comes not only from our books, but from each other as well. This friend of ours, said he wished that the time would come when students at Adelphi did not concern themselves with the administration but with ourselves, with our purposes and our goals.

Although this goal could be attainable, at points it also seems as if that light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off until further notice. Sometimes there are just too many distractions to concentrate on what is really important. Whether it's the strike of the clerical workers (and subsequently some student fears about other unions striking), controversy over student-made course evaluations or the ever revolving doors of Levermore Hall; in the end, it's the students who are made to suffer. Not the President, not the administration, but rather, each other. This is our University, the place where we are supposed to grow in a four year time period but instead, we find ourselves becoming concerned with that group of people that should really be of no importance to us. Not when there are bigger and better things to achieve.

So as a final lesson before we go our separate ways when this semester ends, let us try to remember that we, the students, really are the bedrock of this society. If we remain fragile, we will never further ourselves beyond our potential. Gaining an education is so important it's a shame that we all sometimes lose sight of that fact. It is vital that we remain focused and concentrate on what is really our top priority on this campus: to learn from each other.