Every New Year’s Day we get to focus on the year to come and reflect on the year behind us. We get to think about things we have done, left undone, and make plans for the things we would like to do and maybe not do. It’s like a New Year’s absolution and resolution packed into one day. It’s cathartic and hopeful.
Of course, most people I know either don’t make a New Year’s resolution or they make superficial promises that usually come up empty. I have nothing against either route. I usually watch as others play because a promise to lose weight or read more books or go to the gym or whatever just hasn’t appealed to me. However, this year, the year of 2012, a year that packs so much promise, I made the decision to go big. I have made a resolution.

Today, UC Davis' Winter Quarter begins.  There's always a sense of excitement and newness as a quarter begins.  That's the beauty of the academic calendar, right?  Every few months, everything changes: new classes, new schedules, new expectations, new rhythm of life.  But this one holds some different wonderings for students: what will carry over from the way the last quarter ended (with pepper spray, tents, and media everywhere)?  Will tuition and fees skyrocket?  How much of that can they balance along with their studies?

Campus might be the quietest place in the city this week. After all, it’s reading week. You know, that week when all the students get to read, catch up, cram, prepare, memorize, repeat, all for their final papers, tests, presentations or projects. I love this quiet. It’s solemn and serene and it’s a great way to wait, anticipate, and prepare in the spirit of Advent.

Reading week happens twice a year, but in the fall the quiet of reading week is particularly noticeable. Maybe it’s the cold weather that gives the students permission to bury themselves inside. In the spring, it’s hard to say no to a beautiful sunny day.