One of the most common things to see on a college campus is students complaining about how things are but not bringing it to anyone’s attention.
Students often have classes and spend much of the rest of their time with their friends. This is what the college experience is supposed to be like. One of the best ways to enhance the experience is to critique what you think may be an issue.
Schools often have administrators and other faculty that make decisions, but they do not see everything from a student’s eyes. When you do not live on campus and do not rely on the food, facilities and dorms, it is hard to see what may be wrong. A simple fix for this is for students to advocate for themselves.
Even if you do not have time to join a club or organization, you can make a difference by reaching out to the students who are lucky enough to have the time to step into student leadership positions. Many students in organizations want to make changes on campus but need other students to reach out to do so.
This take may sound biased coming from a student in clubs, but the only way to improve campus is to step up and advocate for ourselves and what we want to see. Students pay a lot of money to attend higher education, so they should also want that experience to be worthwhile. We should enjoy our time on campus instead of letting a select few people decide every aspect of campus life.
If every person on Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) campuses- including WCCC and Montrose along with the main campus- made one suggestion to someone who could do something about it, imagine how great change could be. One of the biggest factors in why change does not happen or takes a while to accomplish is apathy from those who attend.
If more students showed up to events, rallied together about making improvements and stuck with it, drastic change is bound to happen. On Sept. 20, 2019, many citizens rallied under the phrase “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.” This was a monumental moment that proved that an idea, no matter how crazy it may seem, can inspire an incredible amount of people to rally.
I know that freshmen may be sick of the Mavily talk, but I truly believe that if CMU students could create a community atmosphere, we could make big differences together. Go to your professors, advisors and other leadership on campus and ask them to help you find resources for every problem.
As an IRIS employee, I have seen people with situations that prevent them from progressing in school and have done my best to get them the help they need. By going to different departments and asking for help, solutions can be found, even if they take a while.
To get help with anything you may need as a student, reach out to someone and just ask! It will make a difference.
