LAST TUESDAY, the Coalition and Student Council held a forum in Old Cabell Hall called "U.Va. in 20/20: How's Your Vision?" -- you must have seen the signs. Frankly, the turnout was pretty pathetic. The still enthusiastic speakers, both professors and graduate students, spoke to perhaps 75 people in attendance in a space that could hold many times that number, and a good many got up before the end. The situation is hardly unique.
The forum's topic was hardly esoteric: "race, gender, sexuality, and justice" affect every student at this school. And the time, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, was hardly problematic: Few classes meet then, and there was still plenty of time to get to two-dollar pitchers. No, the lack of attendance is simply another symptom of the increasing amount of intellectual apathy among the University's student body. Internally, this fact threatens our possibilities of programming in the future, and externally, the reputation of our students.
A stroll down the Bryan Hall walkway alerts any student to the fact that University groups usually sponsor at least three talks, forums or discussions each week. Further, organizations like the Miller Center, the Jefferson Society and the Women's Center have speaker series, scheduled far in advance. Nearly all are in easily accessible venues, like Old Cabell Hall or other on-Grounds auditoriums and most bring faculty or other distinguished persons to speak. The topics run the gamut from issues in the Middle East to race relations right at the University to the college hook-up scene. In other words, there is something for everyone, assuming that everyone has some non-academic, intellectual interest. The latter statement is looking more and more tenuous.
All those empty seats in Old Cabell Hall are representative of the majority of University forums. "U.Va. in 20/20" was hosted by two major groups, whose number of members alone exceeded those who actually attended. Smart groups book smaller venues, like classrooms, minimizing the obviousness of the lack of attendance. An informal poll of a few University students suggests that most have not voluntarily attended an intellectual event in the past year, and some had not ever. Even students who are bright and rake in the good grades show little interest in events that will not show up in their GPAs. If it doesn't have a quantitative value, most University students don't have the time.
Jefferson doubtless is squirming in his grave over the current state here. The Academical Village fosters screenings of "Old School" but little in the way of intellectual discussion. The University has moved increasingly away from the original intention of higher education to becoming a vocational school. Students graduate with job offers and solid transcripts, but few leave Grounds to face the world as true men and women of letters.
The reputation of the University's student body has been on a steady backslide since the 1980s. Once considered the Southern brother of the Ivy League, that comparison would provoke giggles at Harvard. True, we've faced unfair financial constraints as a public school in a cash-strapped state. But the reputation of our student body for intellectual apathy is no one's fault but out own. The University has a stronger draw on students who want to party than students who want to learn.
But who cares about the quality of enrollment? We'll have graduated before incoming classes have time to affect us. Consider the immediate effects of poor showings at events. It's simple supply and demand: No one is going to provide a product that no one wants to buy. Those students who actually do attend events that interest them will find a decline in options. In truth, it's embarrassing to get big-name writers to read at the bookstore or distinguished politicians to speak in the Rotunda to an empty audience. If this continues, organizations are going to spare themselves the humiliation and just stop inviting them.
Being at a university is a unique opportunity to have access to dozens of free, thought-provoking events. While the fliers on the Bryan walkway seem of no consequence, post-graduation you'll realize that the real world doesn't offer half a dozen free forums a week. Maybe "U.Va. in 20/20" isn't your thing, but I hope at least one thing is. Read the neon fliers, read Connections. Prove that something flickers in your brain that isn't headed by a course mnemonic.
(Kimberly Liu's column appears Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at kliu@cavalierdaily.com.)
Read More
PATEL: Personal development courses support students beyond the gradebook
By Heer Patel | 2 days agoThe University must rethink its approach to education beyond traditional major-specific requirements and mandate personal development courses.
EDITORIAL: Commercialization threatens U.Va.’s educational mission
By Editorial Board | 3 days agoAfter all, measuring the University’s worth in terms of accrued capital, operational efficiency and numerical rankings molds this space into just another cookie-cutter institution.
YOUNIS: Why every U.Va. student should say yes to English
By Ayat Younis | January 9, 2025Every student at the University, regardless of their primary field of study, can professionally and academically benefit from engaging with the English department.
