PUBLISHED: 02-23-09

Editor’s Note

Get informed, stop complaining

Last week, I sat in my Social Problems in American Society class, blinded by the unusually bright light in the room and slightly irritated that I was discussing what it means to be an American when I could have been elsewhere. I’m not usually so unfocused during classes—especially ones I like, such as this one—but I couldn’t help feeling aggravated about missing out on hearing Public Enemy frontman and social activist Chuck D speak just down the street. And I couldn’t let go of the frustration I felt in an earlier class when I clued my classmates in on something they should have known about in the first place.

Coincidentally, in my earlier class that day, we watched a documentary examining hip-hop culture, in which Chuck D was featured as a commentator.  Just when I was about to mention to my instructor that Chuck D was going to be on campus just hours later,  another classmate brought it up. I swear I heard gasps from everyone in the class: “What?!” “When?” “Where?”

At first I just mumbled under my breath, “We wrote about it in the paper, and there were signs practically everywhere, duh.” Then I heard someone else complain, “I’m so mad I didn’t know about this!”
Well, sorry to sound like a nagging mommy, but, yes, you most definitely should have known about this—and a ton of the other happenings around campus that many students take for granted and subsequently blame on a lack of information from the college.

The issue of lack of participation from students in terms of activities can be traced back to the ever-looming issue of student apathy at Columbia, which needs little explanation. I definitely have trouble understanding the apathy on this campus—weren’t opportunities like attending a lecture by Chuck D or perusing one of the many free galleries on campus, instead of bumming around at a student union at a state university, some of the many big draws to Columbia for most of us?—but it’s something that’s been apparent since the first day I set foot on campus.

Everywhere we look, we see posters and fliers for workshops, events and gatherings. TV screens are mounted by elevators with programs produced by students on repeat, highlighting special groups and events at Columbia. Even our e-mail inboxes aren’t safe from regular updates about what’s going on, with the regular Student Loop messages flooding us with calendars and previews about what’s to come.

So I have a sneaking suspicion that if students really did take the time to get informed—or just pay attention once in a while—this issue of apathy about community at Columbia wouldn’t exist as heavily as it does now. The same can most certainly be said about any issue, and especially politics and current events in the city and world. We have so many resources at our fingertips—both at Columbia and in our personal lives—but we still have yet to take advantage of them.

This isn’t about supporting the Columbia community, and this isn’t about pleasing the dozens of people at Columbia who dedicate their jobs to providing students with all of the information we need to get informed.  As one of them, I do understand not everyone is a fan of this publication or media in general, and I have accepted that.  But when I see opportunities like the Chuck D lecture or open forums for students to express their concerns pass people by just because they didn’t pick up a flier or take off their headphones while waiting for the elevator,  I can’t help but feel frustrated and saddened.

But as frustrated as I feel about students missing out on their own accord, I’m even more frustrated I sat through class while Chuck D yucked up the crowd at the Film Row Cinema and then heard my classmates point at the sign in the elevator promoting the event and say: “I didn’t know about this! Crap!” I heard the event was quite the success,  and I still don’t really know what it means to be an American. Maybe next time we’ll all start paying a little more attention and I’ll claim a case of the cold going around to justify skipping class.

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