As we celebrate the Best of Sac State and as another class of graduates commemorate their laudable achievements at this year’s commencement, there is less to be celebrated in the year the University itself has had.

As students, we want to take pride in our University. So why does this seem so difficult?

It could be that Sac State needs to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to rent out Sacramento’s most expensive building for commencement because the events center students paid for — and still pay for — was never built.

It could be the stunning hypocrisy on display as this institution claims to care about LGBTQ students, yet awards and has as its guest of honor at a banquet the leader of a country where homosexuality is illegal and LGBTQ citizens are routinely beaten and killed, while condemning the visit of members of the Westboro Baptist Church, whose homophobic views are par for the course in Ghana.

It could be the utter lack of transparency, which ranges from the campus police logs only being available online weeks after the crimes reported in them have occurred, to the University refusing to tell students which water fountains had not yet been tested for lead after a faculty-led student testing project uncovered a high presence of the toxic substance in several campus fountains.

It could be that CSU administrators complain about a lack of resources despite a swelling investment fund totaling $3.7 billion.

It could be that Sac State was among several CSUs that received poor marks from a state audit reviewing health and safety.

Repeatedly, it seems state and CSU decision-makers are viewing students as numbers rather than as the point this institution exists in the first place. Rather than thinking of what will benefit a student during their time at Sac State, administrators seem to be prioritizing getting students out in as quick a manner as possible, and with little regard for remediating the institutional failings that allowed the aforementioned issues to persist.

Ultimately, you, those students, are what will make this University better. A better Sac State sure won’t come from the overpaid administrators whose focus primarily lies with fundraising.

This place can be frustrating, but it’s also worth remembering that what you get out of your education is directly related to what you put into it — and that this idea doesn’t just apply to time spent in class.

Don’t just accept the “Slack State” moniker as gospel and treat your time here accordingly. Join or start a club. Time spent helping people have fun and be social, or doing so yourself, is rarely time wasted.

Run for office. Take your ideas about how to make this campus a better place straight to the administrators who can affect that change, if nudged enough.

Figure out the magic formula of social media and campus presence that will get students to care about a student government that controls millions of dollars.

It is OK to take pride in where you are or what you are doing without singing false praises of a failing administration. Take pride in the juggling act you are doing — working, studying and passing classes in the hope of a better future.

If your extended period of years spent earning a piece of paper truly dictates the kind of person you will become, than Sac State students will be resilient, smart, and capable of persevering through an endless amount of bullshit.