Letter: Be angry, dammit!

By J. Hind

Editor, the Gauntlet,

The start of another school year reminds us how horribly inadequate our university really is. The University of Calgary is sadly lacking in some of the most basic student services and facilities resulting in the endless numbers of lineups, overcrowded classrooms, lack of student housing and residences, lack of resources in a Library that closes at 8 p.m., lack of student clubs and club space, lack of healthy food choices, lack of drinking fountains, etc., despite having some of Canada’s highest tuition fees and the university gouging students on everything from parking to food to school supplies.

Since Maclean’s started evaluating universities, to my memory the U of C has almost always ranked last, or on a good year, in the last 3. Meanwhile, many seem to take the dysfunctional approaches of either making excuses or claiming Maclean’s is wrong instead of trying to improve things.

Students can blame the Board of Governors for not complaining enough, our federal and provincial governments for not making education or students a priority, and also blame themselves and their parents for apathetically tolerating and accepting this culture of incompetence. U of C students desperately need to take a few lessons from students in eastern Canadian universities who got organized and didn’t accept nonsense from those in charge to the point of organizing mass protests and even strikes. Take ownership, complain a heck of lot more about everything to everyone, get more involved in supporting the SU, the Gauntlet, NUTV and other student organizations and take a much more active role in the three or more elections that should happen in the next 12 months.

Those who have the opportunities, abilities, intelligence, motivation, grades, financial resources and living environment to attend university also have the responsibility to take an active role in improving the situation for themselves and for those who aren’t as fortunate.

J. Hind