We all do it. Not that, pervs. We all complain about Ashland University.

I may be one of the biggest whiners on campus and I will gladly admit that. However, lately I’m getting really tired of hearing people blasting AU. Before you call me a hypocrite, allow me to explain.

I gladly join in on conversations about how poor our internet is, the pathetic placements of crosswalks, the boring four-week rotation of Convo and how a pen makes us feel safer than Safety Services does. These are all normal complaints, ones that must gurgle up after a long day of classes, when all you want is potato bacon soup and it is once again broccoli and cheese.

I also have no problem joking about how all the townies hate us, or how every time you ARE jaywalking, they speed up to hit you even though it’s a red light and they have nowhere to truly be. World headquarters of nicest people, my butt – for the record, I had no clue this was the name given to Ashland when I came here. I would have still attended this university; I just would have laughed until I peed my pants way sooner.

Where I draw the line is when people honestly and legitimately hate everything about this campus and won’t give an inch.

They won’t admit that Convo has better food than most universities, they won’t admit that the teachers are more dedicated to students here than other schools, and they hate the layout of the campus. They continually spew negative comments wherever they go and they hate everything new or changing. I’m talking about the most severe type of Negative Nancy you have ever met. I’m sure that every university and college has them and that is fine.

However, I do not want to be grouped in with these people. I may complain, but I’m in love with AU. It’s not too big and it’s not too small. I could never be best friends with my teacher – weird. But I could never be a number in a large seminar either.

The tuition is lower than some schools and no one pays the full amount down to the last cent. It’s not known for its outrageous parties (my sister goes to Dayton and hates being asked about the party scene- it’s not important to her, but people assume it is), but if you really must find a place to get drunk and rub up against someone, there are places to be found.

Lastly, it’s one of the cleanest campuses I have ever been on. When I’ve visited other campuses, I was appalled at the plethora of dust, old beer cans and pure trash that could be found in many buildings and almost all parking lots at any time of day.

Ashland was the only university I applied to and when I told my high school teachers where I was going, they were impressed. Ashland has a great reputation and produces many exemplary people.

I guess what I’m saying is, if you truly hate everything about AU, walk out the door and don’t let it hit you on the way out. Your negative vibes bring me down.

In the end, you should be proud of where you went to school and what you did while you were there. If you graduate from here and can’t proudly tell someone you went to Ashland University, I feel really sorry for you.