Adriane Alston
Editorial Editor
Editorial
The reactions to the recent housing crisis made one thing clear; as Winthrop students, we are not as civically engaged as we should be when it comes to the internal operations of our university.
Students infiltrate social media based apps with frustration and ridicule. We repost statements. We vented in our numerous IMessage group chats. Demanding change and calling for action to be taken. But when administrators and the board of trustees discuss issues like housing, the noncontinuation of the contracts that matter to us the most etc we are not in the meetings months before the crisis has reached a boiling point, very few students sit in those rooms and hear about the problems happening before they actually happen.
Ask around campus “When was the last time you attended a board of trustees meeting?”
Most students would probably answer “never.” Some might even laugh at the question at hand. But that answer should not feel comfortable or funny. It should concern us.
If students want real change, they must show up before decisions become final. They must speak during public commentary periods. They must listen and be informed when university leaders debate policies that affect tuition, housing and campus life. Complaining after the fact does not carry the same weight as participating during the process.
Students at neighboring institutions have exercised this better. At the University of South Carolina and Clemson University, students regularly organize demonstrations, sit in on administrative decisions etc surrounding the issues that matter to them the most. They attend meetings. They write letters. They meet with administrators. They push for change early, not after decisions harden.
Winthrop students can do the same. But that requires intentionality and effort.
Some argue that student attendance would not change anything. They believe administrators will make the same decisions regardless of who sits in the audience. That mindset guarantees silence when silence is the opposite of what we need. When students stay home, they remove themselves from the conversation entirely. Leaders notice empty seats just as much as they notice when students pack rooms.
Visibility matters. Presence matters. Administrators track engagement. They recognize when students care enough to invest time and energy. Even when students cannot
immediately reverse a decision, they can influence how leaders communicate and implement it.
The recent Student Government Association town hall provides a clear example of this mentality. Some students dismissed the event as “a waste of time.” They expected the meeting to solve the housing crisis on the spot. When that did not happen, they questioned its value.
That criticism misses the point.
The town hall did not exist to undo board decisions. It existed to provide clarity and transparency. It gave students a chance to ask questions directly. It helped soften the transition. It increased visibility around a complicated issue.
Service and advocacy organizations carry a responsibility in these moments. They should lead conversations about policies that affect students. They should encourage turnout at meetings. They should educate their peers about timelines and procedures. They should not wait until frustration is at its peak.
Civic engagement starts long before a crisis trends online.
Housing did not suddenly appear as an issue overnight. The board discussed it in multiple meetings. Agendas posted publicly. Minutes documented conversations. Yet student attendance at those meetings remained minimal.
Students cannot expect influence without active participation.
When students avoid these spaces, we surrender power. We allow a small group of administrators and trustees to shape outcomes without student input. Then we react when those outcomes disappoint them.
As Winthrop students we deserve better. We deserve a campus where our voices shape decisions. But we must claim that role.
Start small. Attend one board meeting this semester. Invite a friend. Ask questions about how the university allocates funds. Learn how decisions move from proposal to policy. Follow up with emails. Meet with student government representatives. Stay informed about upcoming agenda items.
Civic engagement does not require grand gestures. It requires consistency.
Students often say they want transparency. Administrators cannot provide transparency to an empty room. They cannot engage with students who choose not to show up. Engagement requires two sides of the coin.
Winthrop promotes leadership and service as core values. Those values do not stop at volunteering in the community. They extend to holding our own institution accountable. They include advocating for the wellbeing of our classmates. They include paying attention when leaders make decisions that affect our daily lives.
Students must move from the approach of being reactive to proactive. We must replace outrage with organization. They must trade apathy for action.
The next time the university faces a difficult decision, students should not scramble to respond after the announcement. We should already sit at the table.
If Winthrop students want change, we cannot wait for someone else to demand it. We must step into the room ourselves.
Empty chairs never changed policy. Engaged students can.
