True to the old saying, the more Penn State changes, the more Penn State stays the same.

Thousands of upperclassmen moved back into town this weekend from a three-month summer hiatus away from school.

Returning students were greeted by a more refined and modern-looking Penn State, as many of the on-campus construction projects that were in the beginning stages last spring have been or are near completion.

While the physical appearance of Penn State may have changed over the summer, the heart of our university remains the same.

At the end of last year, heated debates on a barrage of issues also left with them.

Chris Kovalchick wrote a hateful letter to the editor condemning gay lifestyles ("Gay public affection offensive to readers," Feb. 17), and former Black Caucus President Ed Smith was the target of hate speech as he walked on campus outside of Beaver Hall.

Both of these events brought about a lot of discussion from students and faculty.

Black Caucus then began working hard to change the status quo regarding race relations on campus, and some may argue that they had gotten further in discussions with the university than any previous attempt.

Black Caucus called for a meeting with university officials to discuss hate on campus, to help fund events geared at diversifying campus through stipends, and modify the current on-campus housing contract to prohibit acts of racism.

But what, if any, of this does the average student remember? Thousands of students graduated in May and August, and with them they took their memories of these events, leaving none behind for this year's incoming freshmen.

Just as with each previous year, summer came and took with it any recollection of racial conflict on campus. Now we return and many feel as though nothing ever happened. The slate, as they say, has been wiped clean.

And this plays into the university's hand perfectly. Officials knew they wouldn't have to act and the problem would simply fade away. That is just what they did.

They dawdled until the end of April and no actual progress was made. But as we return to the rigors of college life, we cannot let our recollections of last spring's events simply fade as well. We need to remember Kovalchick's letter and the uproar it caused, and we need to remember Penn State's real racial climate. We need to keep these discussions going.

Whether you agree or disagree with Kovalchick's point of view, and whether you agree or disagree with Black Caucus' demands, it's important to have some reaction, and some opinion. These really aren't issues about which one can be apathetic. This is an interesting time to be in college. We are involved in a controversial war overseas, there is a vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court and women's reproductive rights could change drastically within the next few years. Everybody has something to say about these issues. So start, and continue, to speak your mind. Write letters to the editor and engage in dialogue.

Don't gripe each time you read a letter with which you do not agree. Write a response; take a stand.

After all, the only bad opinion is no opinion at all.