Postions in the student council (based on College Council rep and College Board representative numbers required): 5. Current candidates: 2, running for 1 position. In this manner student representation at this college can no longer be maintained. Unless students finally feel some responsibility for themselves, the college and most important of all, their fellow students, this will turn into a situation where the students lose their voice in all matters that are important to them. Yes, studying also about fun, but the point of the exercise is to get an education - and ensuring that this is a good education is also in your own hands. Listening to students will give you a whole litany of complaints, yet there are few who are actually willing to do something about the situations that lead to these complaints. It is understandable that many students also have other plans, such as exchange; yet for an increasingly greater part the tendency is towards more self-centeredness and an unwillingness to make any sacrifices. Students want it all, they want it now, and above all it must be free. Actually working, or making sacrifices, is becoming a strange idea.
Am I bitter? Probably. The reason why I decided to work in the council about a year ago was that I found that this study and it's community was something that I believed in, I wouldn't have come here otherwise. I feel, to a certain (quite high) degree, involved with what happens here. The best way of giving something back to a community that I enjoy being part of, is taking a position in a council. I believed that with some of my effort, good work could be continued and problems could be solved. The fact that no-one is even interested in continuing this work, quite frankly, hurts. All we got from the promotion sessions were people looking sheepishly at us when approached, making a feeble excuse or even literally running away to hide before we even got a chance to talk to them.
I am graduating in May - if there is no new student council by then, in one way it isn't my problem. I won't feel that we've failed as a council - the worst councils often spark the most candidates as there are enough people who get so annoyed by the problems this presents that they decided to run. I just hope that students will actually realise the implications of not having representation before they actually have to do without representation for a year.
The pioneers fought for the right of representation. They worked on raising committees from the ground, they dealt with far harsher living situations and far higher course loads. Often without complaining. Now, the nagging about incosequential things is going through the roof whilst people choose not to actually do anything. We should have been selected as highly motivated and ambitious students, but aparently that motivation and ambition is becoming strongly watered down. The main focus seems to be on what to do after getting out here - the CDO is packed with information on what to do, especially if you're in social science. In the meantime the council is filled with far higher than average percentage of science majors and is in a situation in which men are greatly over represented. Some complaints and sheepish grins about this, but no-one actually changing this...
I find it sad to leave this place whilst having to fear that it will go to waste. At this rate, that is what will happen.
Am I bitter? Probably. The reason why I decided to work in the council about a year ago was that I found that this study and it's community was something that I believed in, I wouldn't have come here otherwise. I feel, to a certain (quite high) degree, involved with what happens here. The best way of giving something back to a community that I enjoy being part of, is taking a position in a council. I believed that with some of my effort, good work could be continued and problems could be solved. The fact that no-one is even interested in continuing this work, quite frankly, hurts. All we got from the promotion sessions were people looking sheepishly at us when approached, making a feeble excuse or even literally running away to hide before we even got a chance to talk to them.
I am graduating in May - if there is no new student council by then, in one way it isn't my problem. I won't feel that we've failed as a council - the worst councils often spark the most candidates as there are enough people who get so annoyed by the problems this presents that they decided to run. I just hope that students will actually realise the implications of not having representation before they actually have to do without representation for a year.
The pioneers fought for the right of representation. They worked on raising committees from the ground, they dealt with far harsher living situations and far higher course loads. Often without complaining. Now, the nagging about incosequential things is going through the roof whilst people choose not to actually do anything. We should have been selected as highly motivated and ambitious students, but aparently that motivation and ambition is becoming strongly watered down. The main focus seems to be on what to do after getting out here - the CDO is packed with information on what to do, especially if you're in social science. In the meantime the council is filled with far higher than average percentage of science majors and is in a situation in which men are greatly over represented. Some complaints and sheepish grins about this, but no-one actually changing this...
I find it sad to leave this place whilst having to fear that it will go to waste. At this rate, that is what will happen.
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