I was shocked when I saw a student take a flyer, crumple it and throw it to the ground nearly five seconds after he received it.
I was appalled when an entire row of students asked a presenter for an autograph proving they attended the event and walked out of the room before the presentation even began.
I was befuddled when I heard students complain of there being nothing on campus, when the campus calendar seems to have no room left for anymore events.
And I was disappointed when I attended free events with empty chairs and small audiences during this semester.
As students, we are required to pay a Student Activities Fee of $20 at the beginning of every semester.
Some students complain and ask for a refund, which is fine. This just means they won’t get into any free events where IDs are checked or get a student discount on events, leaving them a reason to say “there is nothing to do in Big Rapids.” But to the rest of the student population who does pay the fee, why are you not attending as many events as possible?
There are so many activities going on every week of every semester. We are told this way too often, but only a few take advantage of these opportunities.
After we graduate we will not be able to go to events for free or get a student discount. We will be old. So I am encouraging you all to not throw the flyer on the ground that you just received. The reason more than 200 organizations plan events is for us as students to attend them.
I know college is stressful and some students just don’t have time to do anything outside of homework. But when only 10 students show up to an event out of a student population of more than 10,000, it just seems a little sad to me.
I can already hear the counter argument now. “These events are lame.” To that I say the only way for student organizations to create better events is to show them our support. If you do not like any of the campus events, then say something to Student Government about it. We should all have a say in what is going on around campus.
Why would RSO’s put all of this work into an event if they did not want students to benefit from them? We have opportunities to network with guest speakers, attend concerts, hear a comedian, go to workshops and more. We are here at college to do as much as possible within these four years. So, let’s do it then.
Events are created for everyone on campus. Do not waste your $20 this semester. Get your money’s worth.