alliemugbw
ESU students are apathetic.
I get it, it’s November. The end of the semester is less than a month away and everyone’s ready for winter break. There’s so much going on in our lives, from homework and classes to problems with our government.
It’s hard to be outraged all the time.
But, sometimes, it seems like students here don’t care at all.
A few weeks ago, in a poll of 100 students, over half said they weren’t going to vote for Homecoming King or Queen. And that’s fine, it’s a trivial matter.
Yet, if we’re going to pick and choose what to care about, what is ESU choosing?
Last year, there was an active shooter situation across the street from campus.
I didn’t hear anyone talking about it in classes.
I didn’t hear anyone concerned that it took over 45 minutes for students to be warned about the shooting.
In the three years I’ve gone to ESU, I can only remember one protest, which came after DACA was rescinded. While approximately 40 people were there, that’s still a very small percentage of our student body.
Last week, there was a reported hate crime in Manhattan. I saw outrage all over my social media from my friends at K-State.
When the Riley County Police Department released a statement revealing it to be a hoax, I continued to see outrage on my social media.
I rarely see anything from friends at ESU angry or upset about the political happenings in our country, or even on campus. I don’t see much excitement either.
So, I applaud the students who I do see trying to make a difference.
The Tobacco Free Task Force has worked together for several semesters to enact their tobacco free initiative and they succeeded.
I applaud the students who attended the DACA protest and let their community know how they feel.
To the other students, I say get out there and let your campus know how you feel.
You don’t have to be angry, but you don’t have to be apathetic either.