2008 Woodie Awards
Students' lack of political interest, disheartening
Jonathan Sumler
Issue date: 4/15/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Marist College: a small liberal arts school, situated in the greater suburbs of New York City.
With this description, and the reputation Marist holds, many would think the student body is concerned and involved in the community and the nation. Unfortunately, it seems the students that matriculate at Marist are not interested in anything besides their schoolwork and social lives. It is understandable that these two aspects of a student's livelihood are important, but in the world we are living in, there are other things that should be just as meaningful.
Around campus the topic of conversation typically ranges from drunken stories from the previous night to the books that some person has to read for tomorrow. Meanwhile, our country is in the midst of a domestic and international crisis, which deserves the immediate attention of all citizens. But most people on this campus do not watch the news or read the newspaper, and have no knowledge of the seriousness of this crisis. I look at other colleges around the nation and see protests and support rallies, and look at Marist and see nothing.
This absence of activism may be due to the fact that many students are afraid of the ridicule they might receive from their peers or administrators. This is understandable, as Marist maintains a conservative image, and is not a college where much activism has been portrayed in the past.
This is not to say that the college does not provide opportunities for students to voice their opinions. Last week there was an Iraq war panel held in the PAR during activity hour. I went hoping for an intelligent debate on the issues surrounding the war, but not even ten students showed up for this panel. The presentation was well publicized around campus, but the student body is apparently not interested in the issue of war.
The presidential election is also another point of contention for many across the nation, but there is little said about it on campus. The silence in regard to the issues seemingly is due to students not listening to the news. Most students do not watch the nightly news or read the daily newspapers. Most of the knowledge of national news about the election is received by the limited information given by MTV. Although I commend MTV for taking an active role in the election process, students need to derive their political opinions from several resources.
These are not the only two issues that Marist students appear to disregard. Marist holds many activities on campus ranging from unknown singers and comedians, to speakers presenting lectures on AIDS, which both have a small audience. Even student run productions like musicals and plays have very low attendance. It just seems that students have no interests.
College is a time to experience new things. Once we are all in the workforce we will not have the time to participate in the activities that now present themselves to us everyday. As college students with momentous amounts of free time, we should use these opportunities to enlighten ourselves, before our free time is no longer there.
With this description, and the reputation Marist holds, many would think the student body is concerned and involved in the community and the nation. Unfortunately, it seems the students that matriculate at Marist are not interested in anything besides their schoolwork and social lives. It is understandable that these two aspects of a student's livelihood are important, but in the world we are living in, there are other things that should be just as meaningful.
Around campus the topic of conversation typically ranges from drunken stories from the previous night to the books that some person has to read for tomorrow. Meanwhile, our country is in the midst of a domestic and international crisis, which deserves the immediate attention of all citizens. But most people on this campus do not watch the news or read the newspaper, and have no knowledge of the seriousness of this crisis. I look at other colleges around the nation and see protests and support rallies, and look at Marist and see nothing.
This absence of activism may be due to the fact that many students are afraid of the ridicule they might receive from their peers or administrators. This is understandable, as Marist maintains a conservative image, and is not a college where much activism has been portrayed in the past.
This is not to say that the college does not provide opportunities for students to voice their opinions. Last week there was an Iraq war panel held in the PAR during activity hour. I went hoping for an intelligent debate on the issues surrounding the war, but not even ten students showed up for this panel. The presentation was well publicized around campus, but the student body is apparently not interested in the issue of war.
The presidential election is also another point of contention for many across the nation, but there is little said about it on campus. The silence in regard to the issues seemingly is due to students not listening to the news. Most students do not watch the nightly news or read the daily newspapers. Most of the knowledge of national news about the election is received by the limited information given by MTV. Although I commend MTV for taking an active role in the election process, students need to derive their political opinions from several resources.
These are not the only two issues that Marist students appear to disregard. Marist holds many activities on campus ranging from unknown singers and comedians, to speakers presenting lectures on AIDS, which both have a small audience. Even student run productions like musicals and plays have very low attendance. It just seems that students have no interests.
College is a time to experience new things. Once we are all in the workforce we will not have the time to participate in the activities that now present themselves to us everyday. As college students with momentous amounts of free time, we should use these opportunities to enlighten ourselves, before our free time is no longer there.