For the first time in several years, the university is starting to gain some stability; yet not quite as strong as Student Body President Hugh O’Hara made it seem in his annual State of the University address Wednesday night before members of the Student Senate.

We agree with O’Hara that the university is stronger than it was last year – even though the university does not have a permanent leader and there are still a few interim and acting positions that need to be filled.

O’Hara made a good point Wednesday night that the university community showed its strength and sense of kinship with one another after the Sept. 11 attacks. The amount of support, whether it was financial, spiritual or emotional, was overwhelming and awesome. These acts of kindness prove that this university possesses compassion -something that makes any institutional structure a little more stable.

Members of this editorial board also agree with O’Hara that the future status of our university will get stronger with each passing year.

With massive campus construction projects getting ready to wrap up, our university will begin to become whole again. No longer will students have numerous locations to search for books, or what seems likes miles of construction fences to bypass in order to get to class. Our Martin Luther King Jr. University Union will be a gathering place for students, faculty, and administrators to stop by for a quick bite to eat once the food court becomes functional.

Student Senate members also contribute to the strength of the university.

Even though the new fee process hit a few bumps in the road, the simple fact that students can choose how much they pay for a number of services here is one of the most impressive items Student Senate is responsible for. Students at other universities do not have that power.

Overall, our university is gaining strength after several years of instability. Over time, the university will become the “strong” university O’Hara talked about Wednesday night.