UVU has been a university for almost a year and a half now, yet it seems that the general attitude towards our school from the community has not changed much. We are in the shadows of the two biggest schools in Utah and far younger than any of the other universities.
These facts may lead some to say that UVU will always remain a second rate school and never leave behind its’ old nickname, Utah Valley High School.
I find it hard to argue against those ideas, especially while walking the halls on campus and feeling as if I were meandering through a Zack Efron flick. Or when student laptop screens in class display the newest Facebook game and my least favorite, the always-present back row peanut gallery.
The issue of our university’s reputation hinges on more than just the student body, it relies on the faculty and staff, graduates, success of alumni, services offered, etc.
But while we are attending classes, we do have a level of control over how the university is perceived.
The students, by paying tuition, managing schoolwork, a social life (sometimes even a job and family), come to symbolize UVU to everyone, even those in other countries; there are plenty of international students who will return home and bring their experience of this place with them.
It is, of course, better to make their experiences more enjoyable and worthwhile by maintaining the decorum that a university ought to have.
With this idea of being an ambassador to our own and other communities, we should take pride in the education we are receiving and the institution we are receiving it from. If
we fail to do so and relegate ourselves to second hand students from a below par school, we’re only perpetuating any negative views towards this campus.
The more we take our experience here seriously, both as an institution and as a piece of our lives, so will the community and the Utah System of Higher Education. This sort of attitude will secure a place in the future as a first rate university, not just in the state, but nationwide as well.
Though some of us might only be taking classes here for a short period of time, this does not change the responsibility to make it a better place for future attendees. Leaving an imprint that will positively affect those who come after us and all those we meet, will improve not only how it is viewed, but by and large, how you as a graduate will be treated in the future. If we want the world to take us seriously, our actions must allow them to do so.
Humor and fun certainly have their place at UVU, but a college can be categorized, indexed and valued by the general tone experienced across a campus.
So the question you should be asking yourself is, under what light do you really want your college education viewed? Act accordingly.
Nice job, Jonny Poole
So, if I follow your logic, if you want shit to turn to gold you should sprinkle some glitter on it, parade it around town as if it were gold, convince your friends to back you up on that and then, POOF, magically it becomes gold? Don’t think so friend. Nice try.
@whatever Case in point = you. Clearly you neither follow the logic of the piece nor exhibit the kind of decorum that would result in a better learning atmosphere and image for the school. Learning by cautionary example is often effective, so well done.
🙂 anytime
And for the record, I like going to a wacky school and I’m fairly certain I’m not the only one. Want to go to a school where people are boring? Get better grades and transfer to the zoo. Oh, and I am that student with Facebook up on his laptop and I am the back-row peanut gallery. Know what else I am? An “A” student. Life gets easier when you loosen up a little. Relax. It’s all good.
@whatever, in regards to your first statement, yes. Take Harvard, Princeton, Yale, any IV league school, and that’s exactly what happened. They spent years sprinkling glitter on their shit hoping it would turn to gold, and magically it went POOF after decades of hard work. I’m pretty sure if you and a person from an IV league school are applying for the same job, they’ll take the IV leaguer. So if you’d like to list UVU as the “wacky” school on your resume go right ahead.
Also notice the line “Humor and fun certainly have their place at UVU…” so I’m not saying we have to be straight laced 100% of the time, nor was wanting to be boring ever actually implied in the article. I don’t expect everyone to actually take their education more seriously and have the foresight called for in the article. I have no delusions that people have to share my views, but at least what I…
If you truly wanted to improve our image you would write about those things that do so. There’s plenty of stories out there that would. Be a journalist, not an opinionist. Bring us a story. Teach us something.
You guys are fun. *HUGS*
@Jonny You do realize that schools such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, etc. are collectively called Ivy League schools, not IV League (in reference to the ivy that commonly grows on the buildings)? I would like to think that it was a typo, but you misused it three times in your comment. Unfortunately this type of error doesn’t help the reputation issue being addressed.
@Robert
I felt the heat from that burn.