MSU isn’t the biggest university in the Southeast, but you would never know that if we were measured by the number of programs and events offered. Many of these go unseen by people because of the school’s poor promotion.
For example, last Tuesday night Allen Wier was in Barnes & Noble for a book reading of his new novel “Tehano.” A few instructors, including mine, were giving extra credit to students for going to the event. That was the initial reason I went to the reading, but I ended up really enjoying myself. The book read by Wier was quite interesting. In fact, many of the students that attended bought the book before leaving.
Attending this reading not only made me feel more educated, it made me feel cultured. Some of my other classmates agreed with me on this and said they would also attend the one on Thursday night because it wasn’t as bad as they thought it would be.
I think if the school were to promote more events like this, there would be more students filling the seats. In the 30 minutes it took to listen to Wier-reading his novel that he had put his heart into for 20 years-I could have watched a meaningless show with people telling “yo momma” jokes to each other. I think it’s obvious which choice is the better one.
Campus events not only make you feel more rounded, they can also have many other benefits. As a journalism student, I took the time to speak to Wier about how he was able to publish so many great books, and I ended up getting some great advice from him that will help me when I start my career.
I understand that not everyone can find joy in a book reading, but there are so many things offered at the school that would really be interesting to all majors here. It wouldn’t hurt if more students took time away from the TV and started going to campus events. And although it can be hard to juggle school, jobs and enjoying free time, I think it’s worth it in the long run to go.