Alumni involvement necessary for F&M programs

It’s scary knowing that my junior year at F&M is winding down so quickly

, but when considering the events (with an emphasis on bringing in special guests) that have occurred on campus, it makes me feel a hell of a lot better knowing I’ll actually be able to hear from and see some fantastic people when I leave this institution.

It seems almost unfathomable, to me at least, that F&M had hosted some big names (e.g. Billy Joel) well before my arrival a few years back. I write this opinion piece just a few days before Sam Adams, a 22-year-old college student who autotunes and has been accused of spending $75,000 on his own songs on iTunes, is to play on Hartman Green. And he’s our big concert this academic year. The College Entertainment Committee is an absolute joke, and while its members cannot be blamed for the lack of funding they ultimately receive, their assumed efforts of obtaining a bigger budget are more lackluster than, well, Plain White T’s.

But what really stands out to me and is the basis for this column is the fact that F&M does such a poor job with something that could have an essentially limitless upside. I speak of the Common Hour; rather than using the cliché nobody-goes-nor-cares-about-it stance, I will instead make the undeniable point that the program itself can be used in exponentially better ways than it is currently being used.

Let’s begin with what the Common Hour should be, from a general standpoint. This hour during which no classes are scheduled should be an opportunity for students to hear valuable information from practical and well-known sources. Last week, The College Reporter noted that a heftier budget is what will propel the program to be strong and beneficial to all involved. However, our endowment has dropped like the testicles of a 13-year-old boy and it’s very unlikely that more money will be funneled to such a program, especially one that is so new to F&M. A limited budget is not a problem, though, for my thesis to follow.

The Common Hour needs to connect students with alumni, and alumni with the College. That’s right. In order to increase the reputation and fiscal solvency of our beloved institution, the committee that runs the Common Hour needs to work with Career Services and Alumni Programs to coordinate speeches and related events that bring prominent alumni back to campus. You don’t have to meet with a career coach on College Ave. to recognize that there are some alums that haven’t visited campus in over 20 years (and believe it or not, our campus twenty years ago did not have the ASFC, College Row, the Harris Center, LSP, and so forth). Bringing these people back would open their eyes to the continual improvement of the College, and probably make them likelier to donate or spread the word to their connections. Further, bringing alumni back to speak would probably increase student attendance, as there is a relevance attached to hearing from those who were once in your shoes. Oh, and here’s a pretty big benefit: there are prominent alumni in a variety of fields that won’t demand big money (or any) to appear in Mayser.

I recognize this program is just getting off the ground at F&M, but as I look through the list of this past semester’s Common Hour events, I hold back laughter. Now, I am not discounting all the events, because most are valuable in their own way; however, the events were too specialized and specific to certain disciplines. Hearing Gray and Duberstein speak about Obama’s first year in office was fantastic because that administration’s policies affect all (even the TDF majors!), but fast forward a few weeks and you’ll notice a lecture about the drinking age (half our student body is inclined to not attend that one), electing gay politicians (we know to whom that was catered), and becoming petroleum free (insightful but not exciting). The events that have taken place can be fascinating, but they do not appeal to the majority, and they offer little to no benefit to the College.

As the Common Hour moves forward, a real focus should be put on its emphasis of what F&M is. All members of the College community will benefit in the long-run (even if it’s through increased strength of diplomas), if the program is more alumni- and beneficiary-connected. 

We can use the Common Hour to open the eyes of those who recognize F&M for what it used to be, and there is a lot to be said for promotion. F&M offers great opportunities to its students, no doubt, but there needs to be a shift from “Uncommon Knowledge” (the Common Hour’s current slogan) to “Personalized Knowledge with Long-Term Benefits.\" The Life After College Success Program should not be the only medium whereby students can hear practical information from potentially generous   Fummers.