What are YOU doing?

In the midst of deleting my many F&M emails, I came across one I found slightly upsetting.

It appears that not enough candidates from the first-year and sophomore classes were nominated for or interested in the position of class president. Don’t get me wrong, but isn’t that usually a popular job? Granted, it would be a lot of work and a serious time commitment but a person in that position could really make some changes. Being the class president is a huge deal.  If you think about it, the president can act as the voice of over 600 students. Everyone thinks that more could be done at our school; everyone always as something to say about everything. Think about how much better our college would be if the people who complained actually did something about it. What would happen if people took initiative?

I am a naturally very involved student. Being involved in class activities and organizations in general has so many benefits. There is so much to do and so many fundraisers and bake sales to be coordinated. Being involved is a great way to meet people you would not normally meet and interact with faculty members of all kinds. I find it rather pathetic that out of these two entire classes, so few people decided to step up to the plate that they are extending the date for nominations. We have come to the point where no one wants to take the job and we are going to sit back and hope someone does. I completely understand that there are several people who are plenty involved, some of us too much (if I do say so). However, there are those who don’t do anything else but their schoolwork. 

Schoolwork does come first by all means; that is why we are here. But there is so much more to college than that. If your day consists of class and then all work all the time, what good does that do you? How will you ever learn to function in the real world? Will you go and sit in a cubicle all day, then grab your briefcase and drive home? Doing things around campus helps you grow as a person while helping the community and your peers. One can learn about time management, financial bookkeeping, leadership, and even organizational skills just by joining a club. If you do, you become part of something bigger than the four walls of your dorm. All of a sudden, people depend on you and you have a place to go and things to do that are all more constructive than staring at the computer screen (let’s face it, you spend that extra time on Facebook, anyway).

I understand that we are not all class presidents: some of us are a part of different kinds of organizations and clubs and that is just as good. Just remember that we are here to learn, but that this is college, these are the years of our lives. We should be doing things other than just sitting idly in our spare time. I am sure that now that the date has been extended some very qualified people, if they haven’t done so already, will look into these positions. Even if they do, there is still more to be done. Don’t count on other people, turn off that computer, get out of your dorm room, and see what needs to be done. Become a part of something that will help make our school a better place. Who knows? You may even have a good time while doing it.