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Editor’s Note: The Daily News publishes Letters to the Editor with minimal copy edits and provides a headline only if the author does not provide one. We reserve the right to withhold submitted letters depending on the content. Letters should be approximately 500 words and sent to editor@bsudailynews.com.
Dear Editor,
A decade ago I could be found traipsing around the Ball State campus just as many of you are doing right now. Perhaps you’re grabbing a quick bite in the Atrium? You are almost certainly juggling several homework projects. Maybe you work a job in addition to attending classes? Doubtless your schedule is full to the point of overwhelming you at times. I’m writing to tell you, looking your way from ten years on, that all the work you’re putting in to earn your degree is well worth the effort. I mean that in more ways than just the monetary angle. Yes, it’s worth the economic investment–we’ll get to that–but it’s worth the time and trouble to gain the general knowledge and thinking tools that you’re acquiring, too.
On top of all this, many of you are probably thinking about the looming election. It may even be the first time you’ve been eligible to vote, which is very exciting. As I sift through all of the news stories this election cycle, I am constantly thinking about things I learned during my years at BSU. Ideas I encountered as an undergraduate studying theatre, history, and women’s studies a decade ago continually bubble to the top of my thoughts.
For instance, sometime in the middle of this campaign season, I found myself comparing Donald Trump to the character of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Death of a Salesman. As Trump began to appear less the successful businessman and more the tired, old huckster, this comparison seemed obvious. The similarities are abundant. In an almost immature way, Loman insists on reconstructing facts from his past in an inflated and flattering light when much of his history shows real weakness of moral character. Both Trump and Loman are obsessed with success and being well liked but care little about being genuinely decent human beings to the people with whom they do business, or even their families. Throughout the play, Loman drifts into and out of an alternative dream-like reality full of illusion—seem familiar? The play was written in 1949, just before the period Trump likes to think of as the “great” years in our history. I can’t help but notice the parallels and connections. As I was emailing this notion to my mom and sisters, it occurred to me that I could just as easily have been writing the same argument for an introductory script analysis class. I have the dedicated and talented BSU theatre faculty to thank for such entertaining insights.
Perhaps more significant are the real-world historical parallels that this election calls to mind. Throughout world history, authoritarian regimes have used language and tactics similar to Trump’s. The far right trends that we are experiencing in American politics today have a lot in common with rhetoric used across many European countries over the past several decades. I only know this stuff because I took history courses that considered American history and foreign policy, Soviet history and culture, and modern European history. I find myself thinking back to readings and discussions from those classes, and I am thankful for the context they offer me as I talk with people today and process current events. I owe this knowledge to the excellent professors of history who made my years at BSU such a richly challenging experience.
As a women’s studies student, I learned about feminist theory and the history of women in the United States. Once you’ve taken a look at how bad things were, it’s hard to get on board with anyone trying to turn back the clock. The impact that this election will have on women’s reproductive rights (among countless other things) cannot be overstated. We simply can’t afford to get this wrong. In fact, I feel so convinced that Hillary is right for our country at this juncture that I have stepped up to act as the Neighborhood Team Leader in my small Ohio town—this is something like being the volunteer coordinator for my community. I’m putting in many hours every week in an effort to elect her. And really, even this volunteer work is related to my student experience. There was one particular women’s studies professor who impressed upon me the importance of activism. For her, studying feminist theory was not enough. She felt that one must get out and go beyond theory in order to effect change in the world. So, here I am, doing my part to get out the vote.
Now, when I graduated in 2006, I took with me some 25K in student debt. Many of you are probably facing a similar situation. The grand plans that Hillary has for low and no-cost college may arrive too late to help you. But get this: I paid off the last of my student debt this year. I’m done with it, and it was the best investment of my life to date. The point I’m trying to make here is that my undergraduate education has informed so much of my life after college. I employ the benefits continually. My education has opened the door to a whole range of jobs, opportunities, and graduate school and has enriched my life and relationships in profound ways.
What Ball State gave me is so much more than just a degree. I received a set of tools that I have been using ever since I graduated ten years ago. To all of my professors, thank you. To current students, know that you’re becoming well equipped to meet life’s challenges with the education you’re getting at BSU, so give it your best effort—and don’t forget to vote! I won’t tell you who to vote for (although by now you know what I would advise), but I do urge you to raise your voice by joining in this deeply patriotic ritual of civic participation.
Laife Janovyak
laife.janovyak@gmail.com
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