Remember your college admissions essay? The one you wrote about how
you were going to make the most of the opportunity to attend any of the
fine institutions you applied to: You promised to grow as a student, as a
citizen, as a person.
Students are increasingly projecting a general sense of apathy in
regards to campus life, which may send the wrong message to those
admissions officers who held your claim you were going to strive for
excellence in higher esteem than your barely above-average high school
GPA. For those of us who sought — and most often received — some sort of
financial aid, our scant acknowledgement of on-campus events shows a
lack of willingness to engage with new opportunities, instead content to
enjoy what we’ve received and carry on selfishly in pursuit of our
personal goals. Whose parents would genuinely be happy that their
fresh-faced, college-bound son or daughter turned out to be the kind of
student who couldn’t be bothered to look up from their micro-universe of
reading responses, Instant Netflix and Thirsty Thursdays and influence
school policy, or acknowledge the arts and culture community so many
have worked so hard to establish?
In exchange for what ultimately amounts to little time and money,
students had the chance Wednesday to see two renowned, relevant stand-up
comedians at the Collins Center for the Arts. Of the nearly 12,000
students currently enrolled at the University of Maine Orono, only 230
purchased tickets to see Michael Ian Black and Mike Birbiglia — not only
are they both entertaining, they are also as good of an excuse as any
to get out of your dorm and out of your head. Is the chance for two
Mikes on mics to change up your midweek mindset not worth the $20 and
half of a Wednesday evening?
Another lackluster student turnout this week was for the UMaine
Student Government elections. Voting for student body president, vice
president, and on a referendum proposing to increase the student
activity fee was a process that took literally seconds — except for
those who agonized for hours over sassy write-in votes — and which was
made easy and obvious by the balloting system set up on FirstClass. Just
over 2,000 students voted on each of the questions, which, as it turns
out, is not even enough to have rendered a favorable vote for the
referendum, which it did not receive, valid. Apparently more than
one-third of the student body needs to participate in a vote in order to
invoke a policy change, and a measly 25 percent could be bothered this
time around.
This may not be entirely representative of the level of student
interest for any given on-campus event. Perhaps popular comedic
entertainment, student government leadership and elections seeking to
directly influence how much all students pay for tuition just don’t rank
high enough on the list of priorities. This begs the question, though —
just what is enough to inspire participation around these parts? A
football game? A funky bluegrass spectacle at the CCA, featuring a
recent inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? A presidential
election?
Just remember, the next time you’re choosing to rinse and repeat your
previous night’s activities instead of taking the smallest of chances
on trying to enjoy campus events geared toward exactly you, ignoring
your school-sanctioned options doesn’t make you independent or
alternative. Even a polite disinterest should be scolded as squandering
an opportunity to be potentially entertained or enlightened. No man is
an island, so Donne your best frock and go trust in the potential that
your surroundings can influence you in profound and unexpected ways.
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