There have been grumblings about changes to the community at FIU — the BBC Student Government Association backed out of a merger with MMC seemingly because students and alumni fought against it. Another is President Rosenberg suspending Greek life, to which the alumni threatened to cease funding. All of these have one thing in common: student activism.
Student activism is about unity, passion, and most importantly, a desire of change. As members of the University, we should not be complacent and accept things as they are, but strive to make a change if something bothers us or we want to see things done differently.
Activism should be viewed as a developmental component of student learning and the ideas and perspectives that fuel student activism may one day provide solutions to some of our nation’s biggest problems.
As seen with the case of the BBC merger being shot down, about 15-20 students attended the meeting and voiced their concerns and worries. Legislative structure disagreements between both campuses and needing “more buy-in” from students were why SGC-BBC decided to step away from the deal. Most disagreements had to do with the lack of BBC representation in the proposed unified student Senate.
Imagine if the number of students who attended the meeting were bigger and more people voiced their concerns. It brings to mind what kind of decisions SGA would make if more students were open with their opinions and brought them to light when needed. We are stronger in numbers and if something bothers us, we as Panthers have a right to voice our concerns and make sure that something gets done.
Were the student body to seriously participate in SGA, university life would move much smoother due to an increased awareness of the issues at hand and together coming to decisions about how to handle them. While it’s easy to fall inactive in student affairs and answer haphazardly in elections, changing that habit would surely be a start in improving the quality and direction of the university.
With the situation surrounding Greek life, the actions of President Rosenberg to suspend Greek life sparked the activism with the alumni. While it was understandable when considering the seriousness of the chats involving the Greeks, the activism that arose from it showcases the power that student activism can have for the university, even if one is a former student.
It seems a grand feat, frankly, for such a derail of plans to take place merely through student activism, but it shows how powerful our voices as students really are, and how it’s possible to remain active and vocal post-graduation and see a difference in the academic community and beyond.
Post-graduation doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to cut off all ties with your university. In fact, an alumni should still remain involved because there are so many ways in which you would have never could as an undergrad. An alumni relationship is beneficial for both you as a current student and the university. Staying in touch with your university allows for you to still influence what happens not only for the benefit of the university, but for the students who currently attend.
Students should always make it a point to be active in politics because we, as Panthers, are often a key force in political movements that frequently help shape the messages, ideologies, and tactics of movements.
Photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash.
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