Student 1: “What do you want to do?”
Student 2: “I don’t care. What do you want to do?”
Student 1: “I don’t care.”
Does this sound familiar?
Apathy is running rampant on our campus. Every day I hear people complain about how much our school and town stink and how the university doesn’t care that there is nothing to do around here.
This is Homecoming week. There are tons of things going on right now. Today is Maroon and White Day. Put on your school colors and support your school. The Student Association is sponsoring a “Noon Day Ring.” At noon, when the chapel bells ring, ring your cowbell wherever you are, and try to congregate on the Drill Field with lots of other students.
For a classier setting, check out the art exhibit in the gallery in McComas Hall, the photography exhibit in Giles Hall Gallery and the ‘Charm’ exhibition in Mitchell Memorial Library.
There is a groundbreaking ceremony for the College of Business and Industry outside McCool Hall at 4 p.m. From 4 to 5:30 p.m. the Student Association is sponsoring a pre-parade tailgate party in the parking lot across from the architecture building. The parade begins at 5:30 p.m. and starts at the corner of University Drive and Nash Street. Immediately after the parade there is a pep rally in the amphitheater. There are even more events Saturday, which you can find on the campus Web site. Why not get involved?
There are plenty of ways to be heard on campus. The SA offers many such opportunities: senate, cabinet, standing committees, other committees, judicial board, executive officers and the freshman forum.
There are other avenues as well, like the dean’s advisory council. Pay attention to the bulletin boards for elections and interest meetings. When you hear things like “Those elections are just for the Greeks anyway,” don’t believe it. Go out and vote. Choosing the candidate that best represents your views is the next best thing to running for the office yourself.
If all of these things seem too ‘establishment’ for you, e-mail someone in administration your grievance or suggestion. You will find that they can be very helpful.
There are also lots of free events going on around town and campus. Keep an eye out for events like Bulldog Bash and Super Bulldog Weekend, not to mention free concerts on Main Street and in the Amphitheater. The SA frequently sponsors events like movies on the Drill Field. The best way I have found to hear about these events is to read The Reflector, listen to WMSV 91.1 or to watch the MSU Bulletin Board on TV.
If you can spare the dough, there are even more things to do. The midnight movie showings in town on Friday and Saturday nights are only $5 and provide a good two hours of entertainment and socialization. The local bars charge nominal cover for live bands most nights of the week. Some bars have also started comedy and blues/jazz nights.
Theatre MSU sells tickets cheap to great entertainment. Tonight is “Running with Scissors,” an improv and sketch comedy show, held in McComas Hall Lab Theatre. Tickets are $3 at the door.
They have events like this quite often. Again, just look out for the flyers and hastened scrawlings on chalkboards.
I talked to a local bar owner recently and the apathy of the student body at MSU came up. We have national headliners come to town and Starkvegas can’t even manage to sell out local venues when these guys normally sell out to crowds of thousands. The tickets here are a lot cheaper than the huge venues of larger cities. The only conclusion that can be reached is that people just don’t get up and out in Starkville. They don’t seem to care around here. The problem is after such a meager showing these bands and other acts don’t want to come to Starkville again. Soon our bar and club scene will sink to unimaginable lows.
The place where apathy scares me the most is in politics. It is OK to be tired of all of the controversy and campaigning surrounding the presidential election. It is not OK to use that as an excuse not to vote.
I know it has been hammered into your heads again and again to “Get out and Vote” and “Rock the Vote.” You even have Ani DiFranco telling you to get out and vote. So I am not going to tell you those things what I will say is that after Nov. 2 it will be too late not to care.
Don’t give up on the things that matter to you. It will become a habit and later in life it will hinder you in any kind of growth you hope to achieve. The solution to apathy doesn’t have to be activism; there is a middle ground. Stop being a passenger in your life and live it. Do something.
Adrienne Howse is a junior communication major. She can be reached at [email protected].