Silent Protest
As a journalist myself, I was delighted to see a few Greendale students bring awareness to a cause that is close to my heart. Freedom of speech is something that many of us take for granted on a daily basis. I use words to express emotion, bring awareness, inform people, expose problems, pass judgment on people... because I can. I have freedom of speech. I am American.
The silent protest held on campus this week showed me that community college students aren't as apathetic as I once thought. Thanks to three students, I was able to grab a delicious brownie in the afternoon and support a good cause while filling my tummy with something yummy.
The silent protest was showing solidarity for the murdered Guatemalan journalists that lost their lives because they spoke what was on their minds. They exposed issues that others felt should remain silenced. Now, although the protest was supposed to be silent, the show really began when one older, or should I say mature, student who was angered by another male student's lack of respect, approached him at the protest.
After a slight verbal altercation in the quad, the mature student, who appeared a little intoxicated, caught his jacket on fire and jumped into the campus fountain for relief. While others may think this was an inappropriate display at a protest, I think it added some fire, some heat, some excitement to the cause.
I hope this new trend in student activism continues here at GCC and that we'll have more protests, silent or not.
Welcome Students / Start of Classes
Fall semester at Greendale is one my favorites and considering this is my seventh fall at GCC, I know a good one when I see it. The campus is buzzing, new students are mingling and returning ones are smart enough to know about the express line to pay your tuition! And since Greendale has implemented the 64-dollar promise, it's not just easy to pay tuition, it's actually affordable.
Dean Pelton's yearly welcome back speech he gave in the quad, seemed extra inspiring this year, no? Nothing gets me more excited about starting a new year than knowing that I'll be in class with a middle-aged divorcee and a high school prom king.
I know I talk about this every year, or at least for the past five years that I've been writing this editorial on the start of the school year, but I'm going to branch out and join another student organization. Yep, I'm going to do it, mostly for all you. It's important that I truly experience what this campus has to offer so that the Greendale Community College United Student Newspaper can be an accurate depiction of its readers.
Now, if I played the guitar, I'm pretty sure the Acoustic Guitar Club would be for me, but I don't. And if I joined Student Government I wouldn't be able to report on their meetings objectively, so that one's out too. As of right now, the Tune-i-tion Payments Acapella group and the Poetry Slam Club are at the top of my list. When I finally make up my mind, you will all be the first to know.
Even though classes are already in full swing, there are still a few books I need to pick up from the bookstore. Not sure I can make it another year in English Lit without the books. I've tried, but I guess it would be the same as taking a film class without actually using a camera. I'm pretty sure the "I'm reading them on the World Wide Web" isn't an excuse I can give in class anymore, considering I haven't actually passed.
So, my fellow GCCers, let's make this year one to remember. Buy your books, take your classes, join a study group and don't eat the tuna casserole in the cafeteria... you've been warned.
