As the semester is winding down, and as my college experience is approaching an end, I’ve done a lot of thinking and reflecting of the past five years. Five years in which I truly believe I got the most out of Northeastern. Five years in Boston. Five years of classes, co-op, repeat. Five years of dedication to The Huntington News. And after five years, I’ve come to one conclusion: Some things will never change.
Hear me out. Since my freshman year, I am actively involved on campus and have noticed repeating trends. To name just a few:
I’ve reported and written on a number of issues facing Northeastern over and over again. I can no longer keep count of the times The News has demanded transparency from the administration.
Well, you know what? We’ll never get it. The student body will never think what the administration is doing is enough, and on the other hand, the administration will never admit they’re not doing enough. It’s this constant battle we’re fighting that will never see a winner. With that said, it’s a battle that must be fought. Sometimes it might feel like we’re beating a dead horse, but the student body, and The News especially, should never stop putting the pressure on the administration. It’s the only way to keep them in check.
The same can apply to pretty much all aspects of Northeastern. If there’s one generalization I can make about the student body is that, for the most part, we are one big bunch of complainers. Everyone always has something to complain about, myself included.
Two weeks ago I wrote about the selection of artists for this year’s Springfest concert. I got a lot of heat on The News’ message boards. Someone called me selfish for not liking the picks, and someone else said I live under a rock, (neither of which are true, by the way). Trust me on this one, I’m not the only one complaining. So, bringing back my point that some things will never change, that includes the number of people who will be unsatisfied with the Springfest choices. It’s going to happen. Accept it.
The final thing, which I only recently accepted, that will never, ever change, is the number of people who post on The News’ message boards anonymously. For the few of you that have been reading my column consistently, you’ll know that my number one pet peeve is the anonymity of the posters. In my mind, if you have a strong opinion and take the time out of the day to actually post a comment online, you should take that extra step and sign your name. I used to think that if I talked about it enough, things would change. Clearly, I was wrong. For a reason I probably will never understand people will always post nasty comments under a false name. C’est la vie.
– Mary Ann Georgantopoulos can be reached at [email protected]
