Can you get the help you really want Part 2

The results are in, decisions have been made, and the majority rules. Students at SU are unhappy; our morale is low. Several responses were given: “You kept it real,” said many of the students, “I’m glad somebody said something; you told the truth.”
The question still remains: “Can you get the help you really want?” The answer: NO! Administrators are oblivious to our attitudes as students and most daily campus events. Do the administrators even read the DIGEST? They ultimately show no interest in the campus or the students, point blank.
My concern is for the freshman and transfer students. Upperclassmen like myself are immune to the games that people in positions of power play on this campus, and we know how to deal with it.
I know people who have been totally turned off by Southern and have stopped pursuing their educational endeavors. Once again I cannot stress the fact you must remain strong in your walk, and with that you will learn the true value of patience, strength, wisdom, endurance and adaptability.
It is time for students to step up to the plate and be active in their college education. This means not only academically but also politically. If you have been mistreated, don’t let it go unsaid. Because, nine times out of ten, you are not the only person that received unfair treatment.
It was a mere 29 years ago that Southern University reached a height of student/administrator disputes. November 16, 1972, was a day that changed the face of Southern forever. Two students, Leonard Brown, and Denver Smith (for whom the union is named) were gunned down in front of the administration building, when they protested with a group called Students United.
Student’s United consisted of a various students who were tired of unfair treatment at Southern and unhealthy eating and living conditions. Even 29 years ago students were unfairly treated and desired change. Smith and Brown were both martyrs, some of the things they demanded change for happened while some of their causes washed away with time.
I believe we as students have failed Leonard Brown and Denver Smith, simply because we have allowed things that they died for continue to happen. We have the power to change anything that affects our life.
Smith & Brown are Southern’s Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, their memory and spirit have inspired me to go about change and not just accept anything that’s dealt to me. As a black male, I don’t accept mediocrity, injustice, mistreatment, or anything else that is rendered unacceptable in my book.
We as students have a duty to ourselves to demand respect from not only people on this campus, but abroad also. We pay administration and faculty; we need and deserve answers to any of our questions or concerns. Students, don’t be afraid to challenge what is not right. It’s not what you say it’s how you say it.
We know that the faculty/administration is not supportive and don’t have the best interest of students at hand. So what is the next step? No demonstrations, panel discussions, and walkouts are necessary. Change starts with self. There is nothing new under the sun. But what is new are the creative thinkers, self-starters, and outspoken characters in our positive, strong, determined, trend-setting generation.
As always I am interested in hearing those who have feedback or their own personal stories. You may email me at: [email protected]