There are times when I’m not so proud to attend this school.
Every now and then, a student does something so childish that I cringe and cover my eyes in embarrassment.
One of the biggest humiliations came recently on Tuesday, Feb. 17, during the Hoosiers for Higher Education trip to Indianapolis.
A fight broke out on the bus because of a disagreement on seating arrangements.
Someone got upset because they were asked to move to another seat.
Are we in middle school?
These students, among other campus leaders, went to the Indianapolis State House to lobby for higher education.
This was a professional trip meant to highlight the successes of our college and its need for additional funding.
If I saw a fight on the trip, I wouldn’t be able to ask for more funding with a straight face.
This is especially true since the people going on this trip were supposed to represent IU Southeast.
At least they didn’t fight for seats in the State House.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Many other students have acted out and broken the rules. Read the Police Blotter every week for proof.
One student peed off a balcony onto the furniture in one of the lodges.
Someone put shaving cream on the Forest Lodge’s doors and walls and also put oil on the door handles.
One student vandalized a police cruiser because they kept getting tickets for parking in the professors’ blue lot.
Two were caught possessing marijuana in a car. One told the police officer he was smoking because he was a graphic designer and another said it was because he was an environmental science major.
What’s better is one of them came into The Horizon newsroom to ask us to run a correction saying he didn’t do it because he was an environmental sciences major, but because it was “fun.”
When a party was busted, one student yelled, “It’s the f—king cops!” The student then said it was how she was raised to respond to police officers.
One student drank so much he vomited on the bathroom floor and passed out. While he was passed out, his friends drew a penis on his abdominal area.
Except for the 17-year-olds, we are all adults. Some students here don’t act their age.
College is one of the worst times to make careless mistakes. When someone comes to IU Southeast, they shouldn’t behave like a high school student.
A lot of us do follow the rules and act like adults. Most of us are pouring our pockets out to pay for the tuition. I’m working two part-time jobs so I can pay the tuition bill in the fall semester. I’m serious about learning.
I doubt some students even consider acting like adults. If people put as much time into their studies as they put in their social lives, their lives and our school would prosper. It’s a win-win situation here.
One reason these problems come up is because a lot of students fundamentally don’t want to learn all of the material thrown at them. Acting out is one way to escape the tedium and difficulty of college life. These people are trying to entertain themselves out of boredom or sorrow. That’s just one possibility.
Running away isn’t going to help someone prepare for the obstacles in life, especially when they don’t take their studies, and later their job, seriously.
I know a lot of students who are only here because they can’t get a job without a degree. That’s fine, but barely scraping by during school is not going to make a good employee.
Like the old saying goes, I would rather have a doctor who got an A in med school than one who got a C.
The reason this is a big deal is because when we start taking ourselves more seriously, we will all be taken more seriously. The school will have a better chance of receiving more funding if we prove our merit.
For example, graduating from a “party school” doesn’t hold much weight. Sure, it’s a stereotype of the students there, but labels work for a reason.
Ever heard of Harvard, Yale or MIT? Graduating from these schools suggest strong academic development.
Luckily, IU Southeast is no where near the rank of a “party school.” However, we are years behind the highest nationally-ranked schools.
The IUS business school is ranked highly, but it’s only one part of campus. It’s no surprise, considering it’s their job to be professional.
When some of us look bad, we all look bad. It doesn’t take much effort to grow up and take college seriously.
Sure, with so many students on campus, fights will break out and penises will be drawn on abdominal areas. It’s expected.
It doesn’t mean we can’t hold ourselves to a higher standard.
By JOSEPH DEVER
Editor
jwdever@ius.edu