March 14, 2017
Eleanor Sturt
Free. It’s a college student’s favorite word.
Many clubs and organizations use this word to draw students who are looking for fun, and free, events on campus.
Sadly, these events are not actually free.
Our student fees go to a variety of places, including student activities on campus and specific programs that directly influence your area of study.
“Free” means that you’ve already paid.
I am a theater major, and all theater courses have a $25 program fee attached.
Events in specific degree programs are beneficial to students, but they are being ignored and forgotten by the very people they are directed to.
Student funds used by the school for specific events is money well-spent, but it is money wasted if students are not investing their time.
I recently attended a theater event where speakers presented on race, a controversial topic in many areas, including performance. Half of the attendees were students, and I was thrilled.
A day later, there was a recitation of the speakers’ works in GOCA 121, the downtown location. This event was packed, but only a handful of UCCS students were included among the TheatreWorks’ patrons and Colorado College students.
UCCS students should have outnumbered the CC students. UCCS funded the event, but it seemed that the CC students benefitted more than we did.
The UCCS theater students missed out on some very compelling work that would have aided their studies greatly, not to mention the department paid for the event.
It is strange when event turnouts are small, especially when these events are specific to departments. A low turnout would indicate that the students who fail to attend these are either disinterested or ignorant to how these events can help them further their careers.
If students were really interested in their career path and not just acquiring the degree for the sake of having a degree, the events directed toward them would be filled.
Students should be fighting for slots, not half-filling an auditorium. Getting involved does not mean you must attend club fairs or join Greek Life; the events catered to specific degrees also get you involved on campus.
The special events teach skills that are occasionally not taught in classes, and they add to your education.
The events also help students who don’t excel in traditional class settings, as they frequently involve hands on experience or interaction with guest speakers. Networking opportunities with guest speakers who could help you get your foot in the door is also a perk.
Last fall, the Theatre and Dance Program brought in a guest to workshop auditions with us.
I asked him a brief question on a monologue, and not only did he answer my question, but we ended up exchanging emails where he sent me a series of monologues to look at for future auditions.
A 2015 survey conducted by New America’s Education Policy Program found that 85 percent of students attend college with the intention of learning about a specific area of interest.
If you are spending this much money, and possibly ending up thousands of dollars in debt, do you really want to study an area you are disinterested in?
Even worse, if you are part of the 85 percent studying a subject of interest, but do not attend the events that your tuition is paying for, you are not getting the best of your money.