Student activist groups should not be solely responsible for making change

When walking around the Schine Student Center or the Quad, you’ll hear students complaining about professors who can’t teach, the high cost of tuition and an environment that doesn’t promote the learning of skills useful to life and to careers.

Yet how many, if any, of those students try to tackle these issues?

Often, these large problems seen at universities across the country are automatically pushed upon student organizations or activist groups to solely deal with while every other student on campus can sit safe in their dorm and gripe without putting any of the work in.

What students don’t realize is that when only a small number of students attack an issue, say transparency with tuition, absolutely nothing is going to happen. As individuals, we need to stop being complacent with the status quo and stop being more concerned about that night’s party or social event than the main reason behind coming to college: to get an education.

Change is difficult, especially at an institution with such a large red tape bureaucracy. It’s easy to get discouraged, easy not to try in fear of failure. While it is difficult to invest time and personal stake into changing this university, it is possible and it is worthwhile.

In order for change to happen on campus, students need to act. You don’t need a position of power to instigate change, you just need the unwavering desire to do so. It may seem like you have no voice, but silence is a choice. Band together and speak out. Stop complaining about the present and start working toward what you want to see in the future. Never forget that we pay their checks, we fill their classrooms and we bring this university to life. We have all the power, now we must use it.

Emily Ballard and Sawyer Cresap

Policy Studies Majors, Class of 2015