OUR VIEW: Take a chance and learn something
What is education? Is it going to class after class, listening to a professor lecture about things past? Is it cracking open and reading a textbook that’s dryer than the dinner you tried in vain to prepare for yourself? Is it regurgitating facts and figures onto pieces of paper called tests to get an immaterial prized possession called a grade?
True education is none of the above, though all may be parts of it.
Too often students simply go through the motions of school and forget about the goal of getting an education. Getting an education is active. It requires effort on the part of the student to fill their mind with knowledge. No teacher, no matter how good, can teach a student anything unless that student is willing to learn. But willingness isn’t enough either, education requires a thirst for knowledge.
Most students come to college to get that piece of paper that says they’re smart and can now get a job with the rest of the grownups. Too few students come to college intent on soaking up all the information they can, and this lack of interest shows.
USU invests considerable time and money to bring speakers to campus from all around the country. These speakers come from various academic or business backgrounds, and take time out of their busy lives to impart some of their knowledge and experience to eager young minds – at least that’s what they expect. What they find instead are large auditoriums and ballrooms reserved for the event sparsely dotted with a handful of students, most of whom are only there because they were required by a class to attend.
What a letdown for the speaker. What a disrespect to their achievements and research. The least they could expect is a decent-size audience that was willing to listen.
Recently, USU has been privileged to have many interesting and knowledgeable speakers come to campus, but few would know this because most students don’t attend. Perhaps one of the more noticeable speakers was Iraq War veteran Marshall Thompson, who spoke in conjunction with the showing of his new film “A Soldier’s Peace.” But there are many others who attract an audience smaller than class attendance on a heavy snow day.
Perhaps some students don’t attend these speaking events because they figure, “Hey, I go to class all day and listen to a professor babble on about who knows what. Why would I want to spend more of my time listening to someone speak when I don’t have to?”
Good question, if your primary pursuit is merely to leave USU with a degree and some memories of a few sporting events. But if you came here for an education, these speaking events offer a different method of learning than that commonly found in the classroom. In ancient times, students would sit at the feet of elders to learn. These speaking events offer a similar opportunity and a chance to learn things not typically discussed in class.
So check it out. It won’t take much time, and you may even learn something new.