I regret not joining this newspaper earlier. But I don’t regret all the late nights I spent at The State News, fact-checking and reporting and editing. I don’t regret working hard. I can’t believe I stuck around as long as I did — and who would have thought that a pseudo-conservative could ever be the opinion editor at a college newspaper?

Along with that, I regret not making more people angry — and I mean that in as good and nonmalicious a way as possible. As I leave, I already have the anti-Catholic-radical-feminist-animal-lovers against me, but I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t more I could have done to get even more interesting adversaries. But with that being said, I don’t regret a single word I’ve written in these columns.

I regret not being able to see the city of East Lansing’s darling, City Center II, come to fruition in my time as a student. But I rest easy knowing that if my son or daughter ever goes here, they’ll have ample opportunities to write about its problems in The State News.

I regret not taking full advantage of the residence hall cafeterias. And by that I mean to say, I wish I had snuck out more food. You heard me right. I’ll always believe that the Brody cafeteria staff prohibited taking cereal boxes back to tables because of me.

I really regret that one time I went to Magdalena’s Tea House in Lansing and got food poisoning. That’s it. There is no lesson here.

I regret not being able to move into my house until a week before December finals because the city of East Lansing cared more about petty bureaucracy than the well-being of students living in its city. And I don’t regret that statement.
I regret the classes I took that were taught by apathetic and poor professors. But the few fantastic professors I’ve had make up for them in spades. I’ve had fewer than I would have liked and they never get the credit they deserve, but I appreciate them all.

I’ll regret not being able to see the MSU men’s basketball team make another run to the Final Four while I’m a student, but I’m ready to take some Spartan spirit down to Mobile, Alabama — my new home.

I regret not following through with a language. And even though Hebrew 101 hasn’t proven too useful in my life so far, I still wish I had paid more attention. But even so, I don’t regret a single class I skipped in my four years (Don’t worry, Mom and Dad — I made them all count).

I regret that Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Michigan legislature had to revoke thousands of promises from students like me. But I am so thankful and fortunate that my parents were able to provide me with a college education despite that. Thanks, Mom and Dad. Every cent was worth it.

Perhaps most of all, I regret not being able to graduate alongside a good friend of mine, whose life was taken from him too soon. There is no cure for that, other than celebrating the good times we had here at MSU and elsewhere.

OK, so maybe more than a few regrets. But that doesn’t mean I’m not ready to move on. In fact, I find myself a lot like I did in the last few minutes of my class Thursday. I shuffled my papers, closed my notebook, zipped my backpack and practically had one foot out the door several minutes before the class even officially ended.

I might find myself days or weeks from now wishing I had stayed back a little longer, regretting that I hadn’t savored one last nugget of wisdom from a professor or gone for one last walk in the Beal Botanical Garden. Maybe I’ll wish I hadn’t grabbed my things and bolted so fast.

Or maybe not. There will be plenty of time to look over the notes later. For now, I’ll pack my bags hastily and get out of here. After all, there’s just so much to look forward to.

Dan Faas was the State News opinion editor. Reach him at faasdani@msu.edu.