At a recent alumni event, I mentioned to a 1960s EMU graduate – and former resident of Pine Grove Apartments – that the buildings were being torn down to make way for a magnificent new student center. (More on that in the fall issue of The Edge.)

She paused momentarily. I thought she was going to be upset that a memorable piece of the University landscape, and home to so many former students, was removed. But she wasn't. "I thought they would have fallen down years ago," she said.

All 169 apartments are now gone, but we saved about 100 bricks and thnumbers from most of the doors in case anyone is interested in owning a piece of their history.

As Pine Grove was coming down, Buell Hall was refurbished. New movable furniture replaced the older, fixed-to-one-spot pieces that were standard in the past. A computer port was added for each bed. A similar remodeling project is planned for Downing Hall this summer.

As I write, more than 100 students have returned to campus from eight Alternative Spring Break (ASB) locations. Many of you participated in ASB and know that students voluntarily give up a chance to take a well-deserved spring break and instead choose to travel at their own expense to help others.

While students are the program's backbone, it takes talented professional staff to keep it running between leaders. Peggy Harless has done that job admirably, so much so that the Michigan Campus Compact gave her its top honor, the Faculty/Staff Community Service-Learning Award. Peggy also runs the division's Best Buddies, Students Against Hunger and Homelessness (SAHHA), Habitat for Humanity, America Reads and Jumpstart programs.

If you want to hear more and are in the neighborhood, please stop by. Even though the campus looks different, there are lots of familiar faces still here that would love to see yours.