*Republished from a 2018 issue of The Kayseean
By The Kayseean Staff
20 years ago, Aaron Cowan served as editor of The Kayseean. In his October 1998 column, he wrote about “Experiencing College to the Fullest.” Below is his original piece.
For some time now, I have been noticing an interesting phenomenon on the campus. Ministry groups are struggling to get people to serve in them; [theater] students are begging others to come and try out for the play so that the theatre department can perform. And, the choir is showing remarkably dwindled numbers compared to previous years. The yearbook (and the KAYSEEAN, for that matter) struggles to find people willing to put a little effort into a publication. All around campus, the level of student involvement seems to be steadily dropping.
What is the cause of this lack of participation?
It seems to me that the basic problem which has brought about these circumstances is simply apathy. King College has a ton of gifted people with abilities to share, but the motivation to participate seems to have dwindled. Other seniors will remember with me earlier years in which people didn’t have to be begged to do campus activities. Half the ballots I cast for SGA elections this year had only one candidate!
The reluctance to be involved might be understandable if these were laborious duties that nobody would want to do, but, as anyone who is involved can tell you, outside activities are some of the most enriching parts of college life.
If your college career consists of going to class, sitting around the dorm eating pizza, and going home every weekend, you have experienced maybe 50% of what college is all about.
Take the extra step and be involved on campus. Every person has abilities and talents that can be enjoyed and shared with others through campus activities. I understand that you are busy–we all are. But a life half lived is no life at all–stretch yourself and feel the joy of doing.
