By the numbers: What are we paying for?
The Gorge
by Nate Higgs
$304.00 could be a lot of things to a college student. It could be two biology textbooks, tickets to a show, or even 5,400 fluid ounces of beer (if you’re willing to drink cheap beer).
But what is three-hundred and thirty-four dollars to a Green Mountain College student? Short answer: it’s the part of your bill that goes into the Student Activities budget. Compared to the rest of the bill, that small slice of the pie might not seem like much, but when you realize that with the same amount of money you could literally fill a bathtub with beer, suddenly that ’small’ portion takes on a whole new significance. It appears I have your attention, so let’s explore this a little more in-depth.
To start, here are a few more numbers you may or may not know. One of my personal favorites is 1,575, the population of Poultney according to the most recent U.S. Census. Another great number is 752, the total number of undergraduate students attending Green Mountain College last year. Numbers are boring, and right now you’re probably feeling like you were conned into reading a boring article, but hang in there, because there are some connections to be drawn.
Because of the numbers, you may also be feeling like you live in the middle of nowhere. Let’s face it, Poultney is no party town and Green Mountain is no party school. It’s a common complaint that there is nothing to do here in rural Vermont, but if that is actually the case, then why are 752 students paying a $304.00 a year for student activities?
The answer lies in the numbers. According to Director of Student Involvement Michelle Bersaw, there are currently 35 active clubs on campus, including three new clubs that were just created by students this semester. The Valentine’s Day showing of the new movie 2012 in the Gorge drew over fifty people, filling the couches and chairs and even taking up room on the floor. The Green Mountain Adventure Programming Office is offering twenty-one trips this semester, ranging in length from a single day to all of Spring Break.
But with these opportunities and more, why would people complain that there is nothing to do on campus? The answer, according junior Ben Halay, is that students who complain have “…no motivation to go out and find things to do.” From skiing or snowboarding at Killington to starting up a new club, the opportunities are almost endless, if someone has the motivation to make the effort.
As to the complainers, Michelle Bersaw has this to say. “My rule in this office is no complaining without solutions.” With Battle of the Bands coming up on March 2nd, new club meetings every week, and GreenMAP trips almost every weekend, there are so many good opportunities to experience new things. The numbers don’t lie, but even with so many chances there are bound to be people who cannot find something they like to do. Those lucky few ought to be the future president of a club of their making.
Ultimately, that is what we’re paying for; each of us pays for the chance to find something we love to do and pursue it. “If students have ideas, come see me,” says Michelle. Before you know it, people won’t be around to hand you money just so you can do what you love.
Short URL: http://www.themountaineer.org/?p=1203
Posted by Nate Higgs
on Feb 24, 2010 Filed under College.
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