In the last two issues of The Globe, we ran a message on the last page pointing out that this newspaper is your campus voice, followed by an encouragement to use it.
We also would like to mention that, for this university to be the best it can be, your voice and participation is required for more than just classes alone.
People, whether it’s students, faculty and those in charge, do want to make Point Park a great place to be. The club leaders who work hard to get things done, engage with the campus community and push people to get involved deserve praise. But what good does all that hard work do when their efforts aren’t noticed?
And when some people complain there isn’t enough to do on this campus, or that Pitt is a better place to be, why is the first thought to just whine about it and not even try to change anything?
The reality is, there’s plenty to do here. Events are planned almost every day, ranging from fun activities to workshops. There are even multiple places where creative work can be published — and that’s not even including us.
But if few-to-no people show up to these events, what happens? They go away and the cycle of complaining continues.
Now, each student has limited time, and time is valuable. This is understandable, but what isn’t is not even attempting to be active in the campus one belongs to.
Does this always look like going to events? No. It could be as simple as trying to talk to the people in your classes, beyond just asking their major and moving on.
Perhaps most egregious of all is when there are problems. If something is going well, talk about it. And when something isn’t going well, someone needs to know.
This sentiment doesn’t happen in a vacuum either. When students are overwhelmingly complaining about problems but making no effort to change things or are not talking about their issues to anybody who has the power to do something about it, bad feelings only get worse within the student body.
Like it or not, this is what the Student Government Association (SGA) is supposed to do. Their meetings are open to all every Monday, and when problems occur which require action, they are supposed to be the students’ liaisons to those in charge of the university.
However, that mission cannot be realized if people refuse to engage with them and don’t show up in person to voice their concerns. Nobody wins in this situation, which leads to these bad feelings growing and to accusations of SGA being useless.
This lack of participation manifested in the small pool of candidates interested in the vice presidential and presidential SGA positions, with neither title having enough candidates to host a debate.
This is an absolute shame. Nearly every college campus in the country has some form of student government, so it would be an absolute shame if ours fails.
It’s not just SGA, either. Other clubs which exist solely just to have fun or to showcase one’s talents and/or creations cannot succeed if people refuse to participate in them.
While it is true that Point Park is a small college, its potential is not. All the talk about this university being a catalyst requires its students to care, to be active and to want to do more beyond just going to class and then staying in their dorm the rest of the day.
Some people say going to college is supposed to be some of the best four years of your life. It’s best to try to make this true as much as possible.
