Dear Editor,
Although I commend the planners of the “student protest” (a.k.a school-approved walkout for their sentiment) I am wholeheartedly in agreement with Jamie Rightsell in her statements in the East Tennessean.
“Rightsell, senior, said she didn’t the think the rally would accomplish anything significant and didn’t feel the event was significant.”
While I’m sure her actual statements were a bit more eloquent than that, her point is clear and well taken.
Will someone please explain to me, and many other students how skipping class demonstrates anything to the budget people except that we are a bunch of students who would much rather eat pizza, drink Coke and maybe join a rally than actually attend the courses that we enrolled in.
OK, so there is a budget crisis in the state of Tennessee and it’s obvious from the figures that it is hitting ETSU hard.
So, what are the repercussions of this loss of governmental income?
Apparently programs are being dropped, classes are being canceled and the faculty associated with these majors are finding that their place at ETSU has disappeared.
This is unquestionably a tragic situation for both the faculty and students in these departments.
In order to protest, let’s leave class.
That’s right, taking a break to eat pizza in the Culp Center is a great way to show them that we mean business.
True, you didn’t see me planning any kind of big event, although I, too, am concerned about the future of higher education in my home state.
Allow me to suggest some alternatives that would have been much more appropriate, given the object of the protestation.
Since we – those students who are genuinely concerned with the state of education, not just the money that does or does not exist in our bank accounts after tuition is paid – are opposed to certain classes/ majors/departments being downsized then why not stage a walk-in to some of those endangered classrooms to show support.
Better yet, shouldn’t we start our “higher education is valuable” demonstration by encouraging students to actually go to class instead of tempting them to the Culp with the tantalizing aromas of Aramark pizza?
I am happy that there are students who are passionate about this issue and who are willing to plan events to try and initiate change, but I think that the only thing the walkout accomplished was a break from class for a bunch of students.
We all saw how quickly that room cleared when the pizza ran out.
It was strangely reminiscent of a meeting last semester concerning the Digital Media fee. As soon as the students got what they came for (in that case, it was a chance to complain and a postponement of the $100 credit hour fee), they were out of there.
It is a sad fact that so many ETSU students are so money-focused that they would rather have sub-par programs than pay what their education is worth.
Perhaps this is an indication of the need for reform in our state’s higher education financial aid capabilities. But hey, that’s a whole other letter.
Kate Young

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