By JESSIE OWENSBY

Staff Writer

As I walk through the quad or trek up that hill from Swanson, I often times hear a lot of complaining about certain things you don’t like on this campus. However, I find a huge attitude of apathy from most of you. 

For those of you who don’t understand that, it means you don’t care and that you have a lack of passion. It means this generation of young people is ego-centric. For those of you who don’t understand that, Google it. Some of you think that your life is about homework, dating, playing sports, and going to the Spring Formal. But you are in for a rude awakening. Your life at Piedmont is about shaping you and preparing you to go out into the world and prosper. Among many things, college teaches you time management skills, speaking ability, communication, responsibility, and also, accountability. Most of you will have a rough transition. Not because Piedmont College doesn’t give you the opportunity to be prepared, but because you don’t take advantage of that opportunity. 

Let me ask you, do you have a complaint about the food at the cafeteria? Is it not up to your nutritional standards? Most of you say no. Then you all go to the caf and eat what they put in front of you. Why? It’s because you are apathetic. You don’t care enough about what you are eating to change it. “How can I change it? I’m just one person.” You are going to be faced with these types of issues all your life! Let me offer a piece of advice. It only takes one person to make a difference in this world. 

Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery. Martin Luther King fought for equal rights. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs changed the entire world of technology. Of course they had help. Why did they have help? It’s because they were passionate in their beliefs, and they weren’t afraid to speak them and persuade others to listen. 

This is your time. This is your school. This is your life. This is Lion Pride. After you graduate and venture into the world, are you going to stand idly by and let the Government take all your rights and freedoms from you? No? Well you stand idly by at Piedmont and let the Student Government Association get away with either doing nothing of importance, or lobbying for their favorite club. What’s the difference? Run for office and take charge of your government! When you have a class that you absolutely love, and you want everyone to know about it, such as the infamous “Histories of Dr. Pleysier,” do you write about it in the Navigator, or talk about it on your radio show, or express your opinions to our administrators? Why not? Shout it out! Let people know that he is legendary. Apathy will get you nowhere in life. Put passion and emotion behind what you say and do.

Maybe I have a little more age than you, and maybe I have a little more worldly experience than you. Or maybe it’s because I have been a given a second chance in life to finally go back to college and finish what I started. But the real world beat me up and then gave the chance to redeem myself. Along the way, I learned many valuable nuggets of knowledge about how to do life. One of those lessons is to stand firmly by my moral and ethical beliefs and defend myself and what I think is right. Personally, I want to see some changes in regards to commuter services on this campus.  A meal plan for starters would be the first goal of many that I have. Trust that I am really working on that for our non-traditional students. I am not afraid to shout that desperate need from the rooftops or the highest mountain.

Get involved in clubs, and associations. Know what is going on around you and why. Ask questions to administrators. Find out the answers you want to know. Why are we behind in technology? When will the Student Center be finished? What are we doing about moldy buildings? Why does Chartwells feed us pure sodium? Don’t just talk to your peers, ask the people that can help. Don’t just complain about it on a daily basis, do something about it. Is there something you just can’t stand and it’s a daily issue? That is the very thing you should get involved in, because that’s the thing you want changed the most. You have the power to make that happen. This is your home people! Take care of it! Leave it better than you found it! You have a gift. It’s completely free, it’s completely unique to you and your identity as a person, and it’s right inside your soul. It’s your voice. Let it be heard!