Our campus community is dead, lacks substantial debate and fails to be passionate about issues. After walking around our University for three years, it is easy to notice how apathetic our student body is. This is sad and unfortunate.

Our college years are meant to be times where our minds grow and where a free flow of ideas and thoughts is not only accepted, but encouraged. This University has gone to great lengths to bring in intriguing and engaging speakers and programs to stimulate students’ intellects and discussions, but most are lethargic or detached from these opportunities.

On Tuesday evening, the Film Studies Department sponsored a free screening of My Country, My Country followed by a question and answer session by the award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras. This event was meant to spawn a healthy dialogue about the Iraq War from an Iraqi community leader’s perspective, an event that I thoroughly enjoyed.

While attending this affair, I did witness a room filled to capacity, which gave me hope that our student body was taking an interest in this wonderful, free and interesting program. However, while I was watching the film, I saw many students sleeping who had lost interest, and it enraged me.

It was apparent, after noticing the sleepers holding University Scholars forms, that these students were only here to receive credit for the Scholars program, not for intellectual development. I have also observed this at other events that have taken place throughout the course of this year, such as the Millennium Seminar Series.

The first lady of North Carolina, Mary Easley, an Executive in Residence, has provided leadership to give students a great opportunity to expand their horizons in the Millennium Seminar Series. Speakers such as Sen. Lindsey Graham and David Gergen, adviser to four U.S. presidents, have graced the Stewart Theatre stage. The most disheartening stat of the attendees at these series lectures is that close to half are not students, but administrators, faculty and community members.

Students need to take advantage of what is being offered to them, especially our Scholars students, who often have opportunities that other students don’t.

Furthermore, students need to get off the couch, away from video games and take part in these events. It is great that students have these diverse opportunities.

If the Millennium Seminar Series doesn’t interest you, then there are other forums out there, such as the business-related Wachovia Lecture Series and the Friday Forum Series, which is geared toward education. As students, if we fail to make use of these opportunities, the University could always decide to pull the plug on them altogether.

Finally, after attending and participating in these events, I would love to walk around campus and hear discussion and debate of what’s taking place in our world. When we leave this University, we must not only be educated in our subject area, but also be knowledgeable of what is transpiring around our nation and world.

E-mail Matt your favorite extracurricular activity at [email protected].