Students left out of conversation concerning Around the World

Anyone else enjoy being cut off in conversations? Get pleasure in being excluded from dialogue? Like being dictated toward?

The Bulletin's "Around the World May Stop Spinning" article from two weeks ago irked me in a lot of ways, and left me feeling like my opinion as a student at this University holds no weight and would be a waste of time being heard. The Jesuit tradition highlights the importance of exchanging ideas, thinking critically, and expressing oneself. Apparently, only select opinions matter here, though. Apparently, I don't get to decide for myself what my own limits should be. Apparently, if the decision were left in my own hands, I'd only add stupidity to the situation and embarrass the University I love so much.

By decreeing for all to hear that certain officials in the administration have set their foot down and decided for us seniors that Around the World will not be taking place this year, a dichotomy on our campus is ever-strengthened: that of the students versus administration. Don't get me wrong, I think we're pretty lucky to have the relationship we do with most in our administration, but in some cases this "that's the way it goes" mentality has caused unnecessary rifts that paint Gonzaga as an unyielding, absolutist authority that hovers above each of us. Healthy dialogue tends to benefit most situations, but evidently it wasn't deemed necessary here.

I really appreciated the levelheaded approach and the realistic and compromising advice Director of Campus Security John Van Sant provided, however. Rather than shutting down any possibility of conversation, he chose to take the optimistic high road in bringing about other ideas to try and still hold Around the World, along with reinforcing the entire point of the event, which is to celebrate students time at Gonzaga.

No one argues that last year's Around the World got too out of hand. It was in my backyard, I know how nuts it got. It was chaotic and in multiple instances was unsafe. Rather than punishing one class for a previous class's mistakes though, something particular officials have a tendency to do, let's have a conversation. Let's figure out how to come together to work and collaborate on something that does celebrate our time at Gonzaga, which promotes and enforces moderation and pleases both the students and the administration. Is it really necessary that every student be provided with his or her own personal half-gallon of hard alcohol along with unlimited access to the kegs? It's called moderation, and while many of us may get carried away at times, I think we can lock it up and commit to making sure this event is as safe and enjoyable as everyone in this conversation wants it to be.

So please, don't shut us out. Don't belittle us. Don't shuffle us aside simply because you have too much on your desk to waste your time dignifying us with the time of day. Shutting students out of dialogue in no way exemplifies our value system or goals of our educational endeavors.