Why isn’t there any life left in Student Life?

As student leaders we strive to create an interesting environment for the students we represent. We would like our events and meetings to resemble what is seen in the picture to the left. However, this turnout is something very far from reality.

It seems as if students have become increasingly uninterested in the things that are specifically designed to aid them in enjoying college. Student leaders all over the country have told me similar things. “Its like no one even knows/cares we exist.” My college, Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland Ohio, is a prime example of this.

Of the 13,000 students who could have voted in last year’s Student Government elections, the most votes a candidate received was 35.

And he ran unopposed.

We organize events right and left, post flyers and banners everywhere and talk about Student Government to everyone we meet, but the non-interest in shaping Student Life is ever present. When did this happen? In high school your entire life was shaped by the things that make up Student Life. Clubs, dances, sports, fund raisers ... they were a major part of so many of our lives. When we leave high school, do we decide to leave all of it behind? Or is this more a problem with so few students actually having the time to dedicate?

Over scheduling classes, full time jobs and for some of us families and marriage take up so much of our “valuable” time. The pressure to graduate in 4 years and the rising cost of tuition have made it a norm for students to take 15 plus credit hours and work full time jobs on top of it all.

If you live in a state with similar standards to Ohio’s the rule is for every credit hour of class, you should dedicate two hours of study. So we’re looking at 45 hours dedicated to our studies and 40 hours of work to pay for school, rent and food! That leaves us a little over 11 hours per day to sleep, eat and bathe. Not much else fits into the day. No wonder no one shows up to club meetings and fund raisers.

So how do we as leaders accommodate the increasingly over scheduled college student? Shorter programs that can be joined for a few minutes, events that last all day to give everyone a chance and varying meeting times are a few of the things that can help. But most importantly communication. I’m a huge fan of that word, as you may come to realize. Get out there and actually talk to the students.Find them in the hallways, your classes, heck even the cafeteria. If you don’t think you have anything in common with them and don’t know how to make your approach, remember you are all students at the same school. You are all there for the similar goal of achieving a higher education. And most importantly you are one of their leaders, whether they know you exist or not.

Comments

[Tania]

Hey Megan, so sad and so true. My thoughts:

You write: "It seems as if students have become increasingly uninterested in the things that are specifically designed to aid them in enjoying college."

I have two questions about this. First, do we know that there has been a trend in decreasing interest? It certainly feels like it, but I've only been in college for 4 years so it's hard to tell. I guess I'm just comparing my experience to what I've seen in movies! If there is a trend, do you have any ideas what it could be a result of?

Second, maybe there is a problem with how we are defining what "aid[s students] in enjoying college." I guess this is a topic for another post, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we can determine what students really do enjoy.

Yikes, that was a mouthful. In conclusion: welcome to the SL Blog. I'm really excited to hear more of your thoughts!

[Sara Banks]

I think Tania is somewhat right in better seeing what the numbers are of students not involved. I assume it's low, but is that a bad thing. I think you get a filtering effect were the cream rises to the top. I'm not really disheartened yet. But I think we need to redefine the role of student leaders.

[Megan Millisor]

After reading the comments I decided to talk some of my thoughts over with a few people (who are significantly older than me) and the information I've gotten is that people participated more in the past.

My father did brought up a really good point. He mentioned that the late 60s through the 70s was a huge time for social and political statements. It was THE "thing" to do. Perhaps this decrease in interest from students is simply a natural progression from that original trend. Who knows. Maybe a post about the student activities and leadership in the 70s would be interesting and inspiring.

As for the "cream rises to the top" idea, I do agree to some extent. However, my post was mostly intended to mean a lack of involvement in the activities that student leadership organizations put together. Yes, there is also a noticeable lack of interest in being leaders (at least in my experience). My biggest concern is that the more and more students don’t participate, the less and less there is a need for organizations like Student Government and Hall Councils.

Also, how do we know that those who have taken the time to become student leaders in some capacity are actually the best out there. I would like to think that I am pretty good as a leader, but I didn’t know there was even a Student Government at my college for almost my entire my first year. How many other people like me are out there? This is already a really long comment, so maybe it deserves a completely new blog post, but I wanted to just put my thoughts out there to ponder.

[kevin prentiss]

Megan - thank you for your passion for this. Your worry about involvement and voting applies both in and out of college. Much research has been done showing involvement in college leads to involvement after college.

So pretty much your efforts are saving society : ) and figuring out what works helps everyone.

A great book I would recommend on the topic is "Bowling Alone" - it's a little depressing, but it does provide a framework through which to think about the challenges.

(have to change settings allow html :)

Here are the links:

research:

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/research-previous.php

book:

http://www.amazon.com/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207619575&sr=8-1

[Megan Millisor]

Kevin,

Thank you for the links. My work (a local library) has the book, so I'll check it out next time I'm in.

The website is definitely something I think I might lose myself in for hours. I'm a bit of a research-aholic (which is probably good for someone who intends to be a librarian). Thanks again.

[Kevin Prentiss]

Funny you say that. At the last couple of big schools and big conferences I've been to, the librarians have been the most interesting / hip / interested people in the room. They are definitely the ones I would want to hang out with.

Look on technorati.com for librarian blogs, there are some great ones out there. Lots of folks on Twitter too, if you really want to run with the posse.

[jeannie]

Most organizations and the people who lead them have voiced your complaint..."Why don't these people get more involved" is definitely not a new worry...from book clubs to PTA to Alumni Associations to college SGA's everyone who works hard for their club or school wants participation...sometimes simply a little more lead time or better communication, as you put it, is all you need to jump start participation...in the case of college "stuff" for fun or social issues) involvement, maybe asking everyone to examine their personal views of college life might not be a bad idea...you don't have to literally ask everyone this question but start a campaign(personally or officially) to find out and perhaps sway a few souls to participate more...ask "Do you take college classes or do you go to college?" Do you know the difference?"...College is, or should be, an experience, not a block filling slog to get from point A to Point B and a better paycheck down the road.