Editorial
College work now pays off in future
April 16, 2009
College isn’t just a place to socialize, stay up late drinking with friends and experience the rush of finally living out from under the thumb of Mom and Dad. It is manifestly a springboard meant to catapult students into the “real world” by providing a specific skill-set through education. But far too many students at UW-River Falls treat this University as a private resort on some pricey vacation getaway. The Student Voice feels that UWRF students as a whole need to exhibit far more professionalism and responsibility.
College comes with it a healthy dose of hard work. Classes get increasingly hard farther up the academic ladder, each one requiring more and more complex assignments dependent on a widening skills base. Professors treat their classes as if they are the only ones, piling on loads of work, usually in the weeks immediately following spring break. But even though the workload gets intense, students need to just suck it up and do their work. Life doesn’t come with any free passes of ‘get out of jail free’ cards. Future employers won’t tolerate excuses such as “I forgot” or “I’m just so swamped with other stuff right now” when the going gets a little tough. In this harsh economic climate, companies are consistently looking for ways to trim the fat around tightening budgets. And recent grads entering the work force accustomed to on Easy Street are the fat.
An easy way to keep up with homework, a time-honored and proven method, is to go to class. Far too many students are paying increasing tuition prices for the right to sleep in and play video games online. Every time a student skips class for some extra shut-eye or because they are playing Halo 3 on Live, the academic integrity of UWRF goes down. The student body is the future. People graduating now will run the major corporations someday, represent our country overseas someday, be the President someday. It is more than a little worrisome that the future prioritizes video gaming and keggers over going to class and doing homework.
But this sense of responsibility and professionalism doesn’t just apply to homework and class attendance. Every student enrolled at UWRF is constantly living the role of University Ambassador. Everywhere every student goes, every action and decision they make (good or bad), reflects on UWRF. Students need to be aware of this fact and act accordingly. You never know who could be watching you, making a note that could affect your future.