“As students, our world and influence is often limited. We go to class, possibly a job either on or off campus, see the same friends and professors for four years all in an effort to earn a degree to find a job that the experts say will be even more difficult for our generation to find.”
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As students, our world and influence is often limited. We go to class, possibly a job either on or off campus, see the same friends and professors for four years all in an effort to earn a degree to find a job that the experts say will be even more difficult for our generation to find.

We jump through hoops in an effort to graduate, visit three different employees all in an effort to get a single signature on a precious form and in these hectic circumstances, we often do not realize the influence we have over our surrounding areas.

This past year, a Buchtelite staff of about 15 students, shed light on destructive university policies. Our pages were the first to contain a story about the unconstitutional DNA policies that the Board of Trustees would eventually remove from their contracts.

Writers followed the John Case controversy, including his eventual resignation.

The crisis within the higher education system played out on this very campus. Over 60 percent of faculty work part-time for no benefits, yet our tuition keeps rising; an epidemic effecting universities all over the nation.

The New Faculty Majority formed on this campus and continues to fight for better working conditions and better learning conditions.

Important events happen around us everyday; events that directly impact the lives of fellow students, colleagues, and professors. It is our job as citizens, and as students, to be aware of the world around us and to object to policies, circumstances and behaviors that are damaging.

We have more power and influence as individuals in the small world of the Buchtelite, the university and even in Ohio than we do on the national stage. Too often, small local events are ignored.

As this semester ends, and a new one begins, take a look around, a break from the haze of finals, and really notice the world. Your world. What’s happening that you can change, that you can work for? There’s a lot that each of us can do if we take the time to notice.

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