The misanthrope's last long kiss goodnight

The Misanthrope
By ETHAN CHATAGNIER

There are a lot of people on campus worth insulting. I mean a lot. Not even kidding.

From fraternity row to the philosophy department, from campus feminists to religious zealots, this land was made for you and me to poke fun at.

There are about 21,000 students here at Fresno State, and often I question just how many of them are idiots. I find myself wondering, “How can I work these people into a column?” Well, this is my last column and I can’t fit them all in, so let’s just talk about the college student in general.

As the stereotype would have it, we like to party on the weekends. We get real drunk and, if we’re lucky, do some crazy fornicating. During the weeks, we do our best to hibernate.

This stereotype holds water, at least in certain cases. I’ve been to parties. I’ve seen how my peers act. We have them in our classes, though we don’t see them there too often.

The truth is, many of us don’t know why we’re here — and not just the partied out floaters. We don’t understand why we have to take all these stupid GE classes. A lot of students are here because their parents made them come. Others need to fill space on their resumes. College is just what you do after high school.

Well, here’s a secret: This isn’t vocational ed. Though the administration makes no secret about it, a large part of the student body remains unaware that we’re here to learn. Not to be trained. Not to learn a trade.

To develop the way we think.

There’s a lot degrees can do for us. They have dollar figures attached. They show employers we’re responsible and we can finish something.

There’s a lot more that one can do with them, though, which is the part most people fail to realize. The university is full of knowledge waiting to be imparted. If one has a goal, the tools are here to achieve it.

Fresno State students can go to Africa to work providing AIDS relief or find political internships in Washington, D.C. Here you can learn music, you can learn to speak another language, you can to help provide physical therapy to the recently handicapped.

Whether you graduate next week or have years still to go, defy the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, decadent college student. Change the way you think about your classes. Instead of how little you can do and still get by, see how much you can take away from them and from the college experience.