What a year.

With finals upon us and summer beckoning, our thoughts turn to lighter things like travel and relaxation. While some of us are moving on to the real world, it’s worth looking back on one of the most consequential years in this University’s history.

Change, as cliched as that sounds, was the big theme of the year. The biggest change that comes to mind is the drawn-out retirement of Chief Illiniwek. Little did we know that after more than a decade of argument and indecision, 2007 was when the matter finally would come to rest. As predicted, the retirement process was messy and brought forth new questions about how the University conducts itself.

But for all the national headlines that the Chief controversy created, it is important to remember that there were other major events that changed campus as well.

The “Tacos and Tequila” event held in the fall thrust racial issues back into the campus spotlight. Its backlash culminated in the February “Racism, Power and Privilege” forum which was attended by thousands. Despite its criticisms, the event was one of the largest examples of student activism in recent years and proved that student apathy was not insurmountable.

This year we also saw campus athletes make news not because of their mediocre games, but because of their dubious actions. Allegations of alcohol-related traffic offenses and burglaries cast a dark shadow over the entire University, and how the athletic department will repair its image remains to be seen.

But this year hasn’t been all bad news. After decades of neglect, Lincoln Hall looks to have its best shot in years of being brought out of perpetual disrepair and restored to its proper place as one of the premier educational buildings in the state.

After a number of improvements and reforms by the University and city governments, Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day produced fewer arrests and thankfully, no casualties. The party it seems, is safe for now.

And who could forget the unprecedented pair of snow days? The Daily Illini didn’t get a day off but we’re not complaining; it seemed everybody had fun that week.

Speaking of the Daily Illini, this has been arguably our biggest year ever. We’ve grown to be more than just a newspaper, and become a multimedia news source. With our new On-Air and Online divisions, our coverage this year has reached more readers than ever before.

Looking back, the long hours and our falling GPAs were a reasonable price to pay to be on the forefront of an era of change at the University of Illinois. Reporting it has been a pleasure, and we will continue to do so over the summer and into our 137th year. Stay tuned.