The Torch's take...Apathy finds antidote: Students unite for Haiti
Maryam Rezayat
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Columns
As I sat down at my computer earlier this week and checked my email, doing my usual assessment of the content of my inbox. Email from my best friend from home about the weekend's activities? Read now. Email from my advisor? Keep it to read later. Spam trying to get me to purchase male enhancement products? Delete. Email from Student Activities? Del-wait. It was an email about the Just Eve and Wittmen Crew concert, the proceeds of which will benefit Haiti relief efforts.
My cursor remained hovering over the delete button, and I felt the familiar feelings of student apathy wash over me. Apathy that kept me from attending most theater productions or sporting events. Apathy that allowed me to focus only on my homework and the activities in which I was directly invested. I tried to justify deleting this email as I had justified every other automatic expulsion from my inbox of other campus emails.
The well-known cliches went through my head: I'm just one person, and one person can't make a difference; if I don't go, someone else will, so it doesn't matter; I'm not really interested in [insert activity here].
However, despite my attempts to justify this delete to myself, there was really no way that I could. Though each of us is just that-one person-we need to realize that, especially in a situation like that in Haiti, we can all make a difference if we come together as a campus. Even if we only feed and clothe one town, one family, or one person. We can't let our indifference to those things going on around campus keep us from contributing to such an important initiative.
I and the rest of The Torch staff implore you to attend or contribute in some way to the Hope for Haiti Weekend that members of organizations on campus have planned.
On Friday, Feb. 5, students are going to be performing from 7 to 10 p.m. in Post 95, and all proceeds that the event generates are going towards Doctors without Borders, which is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides assistance to those in need due to armed conflict, epidemics, or natural disasters.
My cursor remained hovering over the delete button, and I felt the familiar feelings of student apathy wash over me. Apathy that kept me from attending most theater productions or sporting events. Apathy that allowed me to focus only on my homework and the activities in which I was directly invested. I tried to justify deleting this email as I had justified every other automatic expulsion from my inbox of other campus emails.
The well-known cliches went through my head: I'm just one person, and one person can't make a difference; if I don't go, someone else will, so it doesn't matter; I'm not really interested in [insert activity here].
However, despite my attempts to justify this delete to myself, there was really no way that I could. Though each of us is just that-one person-we need to realize that, especially in a situation like that in Haiti, we can all make a difference if we come together as a campus. Even if we only feed and clothe one town, one family, or one person. We can't let our indifference to those things going on around campus keep us from contributing to such an important initiative.
I and the rest of The Torch staff implore you to attend or contribute in some way to the Hope for Haiti Weekend that members of organizations on campus have planned.
On Friday, Feb. 5, students are going to be performing from 7 to 10 p.m. in Post 95, and all proceeds that the event generates are going towards Doctors without Borders, which is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides assistance to those in need due to armed conflict, epidemics, or natural disasters.
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