Lack of letters shows students don't care
We’ve got trouble my friends. Trouble with a capital T that rhymes with C and stands for college.
Several things have changed since we left campus in May. Those who graduated are now working, or at least looking for jobs, while new students are busy getting acquainted with their new home and family. The college has renovated houses near campus because of all the students living on campus this year.
The cafeteria has gone trayless to help reduce the school’s carbon footprint. Several new professors have shown their faces around campus as well.
It seems like so many things have changed over the past four months. But that’s where the trouble comes in. I know there is one thing that has not changed.
No one cares about this college.
Sure, people will say they care. They’ll go cheer at the football games when the team is winning or tell people about the neat things the school is doing. But that doesn’t count.
Every student complains about something on a daily basis. Be it quality of food, or weekend activities, or class size. The list is longer than Tolstoy’s "War and Peace."
But those complaints never turn into more than a whisper. Friends talk to each other with regards to how much they dislike something, but the discussion ends there.
But there’s a perfectly good solution to the problem, and it’s in your hands right now.
The Franklin, in print and online at TheFranklinOnline.com, serves as the voice of the community and the campus. But what good is the voice when the community refuses to speak?
The reason I know no one cares is because no one writes to the paper to address any of these ideas. Last semester we had the highest number of letters to the editor than any previous ones I’ve worked on the paper.
Which isn’t saying much; that number was only four. And two of those came from professors.
Bottom line: Students don’t care.
Students should care about the campus. This is going to be their home for the next few years. Shouldn’t it be a well-liked home? If something bothered me at my house, I’d definitely complain to my parents about how to change it.
But I’m sure there are plenty of reasons why students are too busy to write in. Class, athletics and campus groups don’t not take up an entire day. You could write a letter while you eat dinner. Write a little bit before bed every night.
There’s no good reason not to write in and express your beliefs. I can picture a college student retorting with "I don’t care about the newspaper, I’m too busy watching ‘The Real World.’"
Well that’s fine, because if you’re watching "The Real World," then you aren’t my target audience. In fact, you’re probably not even intelligent enough to be reading this column if you watch MTV.
The alarmingly low number of letters shows a lack of dedication to the campus and the community. So I’m issuing the entire campus a challenge.
It’s human nature to want to prove someone wrong, so here’s the perfect opportunity.
Prove me wrong.
I don’t think anyone is going to write in this semester, but I challenge every student on this campus to show they care about the college.
Letters to the editor will be published. They always have been. But if too many come in, some will be published, while the others will be published on the Web site.
So find something about the campus that really bugs you. Find something The Franklin wrote about that you disagree with. Find something that just really gets you mad.
Write a letter. I dare you.
