Claire Herquet, Editor

PHILADELPHIA – La Salle University sent a campus-wide email Monday morning reminding students that, regardless of the situation, they are expected to “just figure it out.”

The email, sent from University Marketing and Communications with the subject line “Important Information for the La Salle Community,” appeared in inboxes at 7:46 a.m., a time typically reserved for loud alarms and dread.

“As Explorers, students are encouraged to navigate challenges independently,” the email read. “Please utilize the available resources, previous emails, signs that may or may not be correct and personal resilience.”

The message did not specify which challenge it was referring to. Within minutes, students across campus attempted to determine whether the email applied to:

• The really hard to open front door they just tried at Founders’ Hall (Lasallians should be lifting more I guess) 
• The Grubhub app being down while trying to order at Burgers & Fries 
• Or the fact that your car can get stolen out of the St. Miguel Townhouses parking lot while you’re sleeping

“I thought it was about advising,” said a sophomore standing outside an office in Hayman Hall. “But then I realized it could also be about financial aid or parking since students have issues there all the time.”

According to the message, students are urged to “use available resources,” which apparently include:

• A La Salle office phone number that goes straight to voicemail
• A QR code on a flyer posted in the Student Union that leads nowhere
• And asking that one friend who “knows stuff” and is wrong or doesn’t know 80% of the time

When asked what students should do if those resources fail, a university official replied, “That’s where figuring it out comes in.”

Reactions ranged from amused to numb.

“Honestly, it’s refreshing,” said a first-year student in the Student Union, waiting for their order while the screen displayed five orders ahead of them, yet they had been waiting for 45 minutes. “Most universities pretend that they have answers. La Salle just tells you to build character.”

A junior added that the message perfectly captured life at La Salle. “They don’t call us Explorers because it sounds fun,” he said. “They call us that because we’re constantly wandering around campus looking for offices, classrooms or a printer that works.”

University officials later clarified that the message was intentional. “We believe ambiguity prepares students for the real world,” the official said. “Much like navigating College Hall in the dark or determining whether the shuttle is running or simply being imagined.”

“At a certain point, you stop asking,” said a senior walking across the Quad. “You just figure it out. Or you don’t. That’s La Salle.”