Final exams are approaching and the “panic alert level” on campus has been raised from yellow to red. Energy drink and coffee sales have probably gone up, while hours of sleep have gone down. Despite the fact that finals are crucial for your grade, it’s important to keep testing in perspective. Being too wrapped up in academics can leave you ignorant when it comes to life outside of campus.
My professor recently asked one of my classes about an event in the news that had happened the day before. Strangely, I was the only one who knew about the story. As it turned out, France elected conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy as its new president. The lesson plan tied into how France will move from past socialistic ways into more of a capitalistic country.
This wasn’t the first time ignorance was exposed in a class. A couple of weeks ago, another one of my professors brought up the immigration rally. Even though this event occurred in Los Angeles, nobody knew what was going on.
Concerned by this, I tried to understand my fellow colleague’s disconnection with the world around him. Part of the problem is students don’t have time to read the news, be it online or in the newspaper. Most people want to watch television or listen to music after reading textbooks and notes all day. Students don’t want to spend precious down time on non-school-related learning.
Sure, school is important, but it’s vital to stay in touch with reality. Eventually, you will have a job and your degree can’t substitute for common sense.
As soon as I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I was talking to a student about politics. Usually, this subject brings up disagreements, which lead to intense arguments. But the problem here wasn’t a difference of opinion. It was the lack of one altogether.
The subject of U.S. presidential candidates came up and this particular student didn’t know who was running. You might think I was on a grade school campus, or even at a local high school. But no. This thought-provoking conversation occurred right here at The Beach.
After it became apparent that the student in question wasn’t joking, frustration quickly kicked in. How could this happen? This person is responsible, gets good grades and holds down a job. This person watches television and claims to use the Internet frequently. As a business economics major, this person may want to know who is running for the highest office in the country.
While troubling, this person is clearly not alone on campus. Even our own cafeteria shows MTV on the television screens instead of CNN. Granted, the news lacks excitement compared to what happened on “Lost” or “Grey’s Anatomy” last night. At the same time, it’s important to know at least a little about what’s going on in the world.
How do we expect students to vote in campus elections if they don’t vote in national elections? Everyone knows young people don’t turn out at the polls, and national newspapers are currently losing readers fast.
At the very least, put a news link on your computer, even if it is the Drudge Report. You can even read the Daily Forty-Niner online without getting your hands dirty. Graduation starts today, and so should your interest in the world.
As far as my classmate, not all hope is lost. This person’s studying efforts will probably pay off, leading to As on his final exams. And although I can’t say for sure, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn he is following other hard-hitting and controversial issues – like Paris Hilton’s upcoming trip to jail.
Ryan Ortega is a junior business finance major.
