A Moment of Solidarity

Korrin B.

April 10, 2011 - 3:45 PM

Although in my previous post I commented on how my final term is leaving me with all of these feelings of nostalgia, I must also mention that it is concurrently evoking in me a sense of bitterness and rage. I have come to describe my recent feelings with the following comparison: I am the student equivalent of a burnt out government employee. I have given up on the system and I am irritated with the situation. This comparison being made, I will also note that it is founded upon stereotypes of government employees, which I don't actually deem completely accurate. I believe that there are many highly motivated, passionate public servants out there initiating positive change in our communities everyday. So, I apologize for picking on them just for the sake of a comical comparison. Ok, moving on.

This overwhelming feeling of irritation has taken me over the past few days I have gone to campus. I always leave my house in the morning with the feeling like this is going to be a great day, but the past few have just diminished the second I reach my first class. Problem number one is my generation - the age of entitlement. I'm not proud of this and I will do everything in my power to reverse it, but I am only one woman in a sea of many, many entitlement babies. I have had the great displeasure the past few days of sitting with a group of classic entitlement generation members. They use the entire class time to argue with the instructor over concepts that they would understand if they actually did the work and paid attention to the directions instead of assuming the teacher should explain it directly to them every time. They make rude comments, act disrespectfully, and try their best to make our wonderful instructor look like an awful teacher. They are annoying and yet, to them, it is the rest of the world that is a problem because the rest of the world cannot fit into their immediate needs. Their blatant disrespect for the institution of higher education has made me believe that if you reach graduation and are not at a certain level of emotional maturity and intellect that you should get a certificate of completion rather than a Bachelor's degree. Harsh? Perhaps, but something needs to be done to save higher education from its biggest backstabbers.

So, after class I usually go to work in the PPPM department's Internship Program. One of my job responsibilities is to go through the Daily Emerald looking for articles on our students to put up on the news board. If you ever have some desire to be outraged, just try reading the Daily Emerald. It's not just the constant wondering of whether they have anyone who proofreads, but it is also the content. Specifically, my outrage usually forms around issues of the ASUO, which I have come to view in my senior as a complete joke. They are under the belief that they are truly representing the majority of the student body when making their decisions, yet their decisions are based off of something like only 20% of the student body that actually votes in student government elections. So, when they put forth ballot measures to get the student majority opinion, they really aren't getting a true taste of what the students think. This year, they are especially not getting an accurate view of what students want and I will explain why momentarily.

I have a list going of letters I'd like to write to the editor of the Daily Emerald, but with my busy schedule, I have been unable to find the time. Instead, I just sit on my student outrage and continue to add to my list each time I read through the paper. This past week, however, I was able to take a deep, relaxing breath when I read another student's opinion piece to the Daily Emerald. It was written about one of the topics I had my list - the recent ASUO ballot measures. These measures were horribly written. When I first saw them when I went online to vote, I was appalled. They were written in ways to completely push specific agendas. They were not fair and they did not leave the decision up to the informed student. Instead, they were completely biased and belittling. When I read this letter sent in by University student, Patrick Freeman, I was so happy that there was another student out there who understood why this was so wrong. In fact, I loved Patrick's letter so much that I will paste it here in my blog for all to read:

"March 31, 2011 was the last day for University students to vote in the ASUO elections. I took the opportunity, optimistic that I could express my opinion to our student representatives. However, I found this was exceedingly difficult. The majority of the ballot measures were biased and misleading. While this has already been expressed numerous times in the Emerald opinion section (for which I am most grateful), I am not writing to point this out or inform anyone about the measures or the issues they regard. It is too late for that. I am writing to argue that this sort of deception is unacceptable.

I am insulted, incredulous, embarrassed and irate that the ballots were written in such a deceptive manner. The University is an institution of higher education. To expect the student body to passively accept such a belittling set of questions is insulting. I am embarrassed to be represented by people who would find the answers to these questions insightful. I am incredulous that this sort of work meets standards at an institution of higher education. And perhaps more than anything I am irate, if simply because it is too easy to imagine a better-written ballot and a kinder world. I encourage you to feel the same and to use that feeling as means to a better end, ideally your education. In such a deceptive world, you will need a very good one."

His letter was cogent and meaningful and made my bitter, fifth-year heart believe again. I was so happy to know that there were Patricks out there. I decided to write Patrick a quick email thanking him for his letter and letting him know that I completely agreed with what he had to say. He then wrote me back thanking me for my support and for reminding him of the importance of public participation. And so, my blog readers, thank you for reading all the way through my rant. Now, I hope you understand why I titled my blog, "A Moment of Solidarity." Through all of my burnt out views of college life and my generation, for a moment, I saw hope and, with a fellow student, through a brief email exchange, I experienced a moment of solidarity. There is hope for the future.