FSU has a Communication Problem
posted by Shemarquez Rice | October 24, 2022 | In OpinionThere is so much to love about this institution, from its Bronco Pride to its glowing personality and history. As with everything we love, we must also speak on the things that can be greatly improved.
As a first-year transfer student, I’ve already experienced some of the highs and lows of the ‘Bronco experience.’
The highs: the enriching experience that comes from attending a HBCU. This includes the joys of inclusivity—of meeting people who are just like you that want to be around other similarly cultured people. This also includes learning more about Black culture than you would at a PWI, or time spent in our country’s schooling system.
Although this brings a great draw to any growing institution, the lows can harm the potentiality of its sustaining legacy.
The faces students see that will shape their lives are ours at this institution. From the staff to the second-year or upperclassmen. How can we show that Bronco pride effectively?
Both in-state and out-of-state students are looking to find a home in a place that is largely alien to their own, a place that will prepare them for a greater world ahead of them. Students can only be ‘helped’ so much in achieving these goals. However, the ways in which we are communicated with does help.
As a student who is a person of color, there is little refuge that can be found in this outer world for me. I chose this HBCU because it gave me a sense of community and home, unlike any one I’ve ever felt.
Yet, since my attendance, I’ve seen the beauty and frustration that has come from this presentation. I’ve found myself lost in the mixture of anticipation and anxiety in the classroom, with at times, a lack of assistance. This feeling is combined with the lack of attention placed on informing students of any and all occurrences on campus.
The warmth I’d felt in orientation or welcome week fell away my first week of school. This caused me to question if FSU was truly a place for me.
I begin to slowly wonder if other students shared these feelings. In a vast sea of FSU students, who would share these sentiments?
Though, not all is lost at this great institution. Much of the warmth could be found in the friendly smiles and gestures amongst the lovely staff and student body of FSU. Those who’ve walked the path already, seeing fit to guide the future voices of those who haven’t.
All in all, change is inevitable and needed for the greatest step in any growth process. For this to occur, however, there must be a period where the already existing structure is observed under greater scrutiny—not just under a lens of critique but under a loving embrace.
Photo courtesy of Dr Pitch
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