So, as I am sure some people know, Saint Mary's is about to start De La Salle Week, which means there will be several events that are happening around campus. Out of all of the De La Salle Week events there is one that I feel is extremely important for every student to try to attend at least once. That event is the Five Core Dinner. This event is important for several reasons.

I think that students should attend this event so that they can gain a real understanding of the five Lasallian Core Principles. These principles are high standards that our campus strives toward. Before I attended the Five Core Dinner last year I knew two of the five principles, and I did not really have a respect or understanding for them. Today I can name all five of the Lasallian Core Principles (Quality Education, Concern for the Poor and Social Justice, Faith in the Presence of God, Inclusive Community, and Respect for All Persons). Each one is important in maintaining the Lasallian aspect of our college that makes us such a strong community. I believe that Saint Mary's would not have its current campus environment if we didn't follow these principles.

I do have a favorite of the five principles, one that I hold in the highest regards here at Saint Mary's. My favorite principle on this campus is Inclusive Community. This is my favorite principle because I have seen how several organizations on this campus operate (through my own or my friends' involvement in them) and how they work toward maintaining that feeling of inclusivity on our campus. A fair amount of our on-campus leaders have been through training to help them be more inclusive. What shocks me, however is the number of people on this campus unaware of the effort that our organizations go through to make everyone feel included. I am not, however, surprised by the number of people who do not know about the Five Core Principles. I am just hoping to increase the awareness of them.

This brings me back to the Five Core Dinner, and why I think everyone who is able to attend should at least once. This dinner is probably the easiest way a student can learn about our Five Core Principles, and talk about the goals of each principle with their table. Seeing how Lasallian is one of the three pillars our campus is founded on I just think that we as a student body should know a little bit about what that means. Like I said at the beginning, De La Salle Week is about to start. Now would be a great time for those who might not know much about our Lasallian pillar to try to learn a little more.