Perspective: Do Not Suffer in Silence

As the seasons seem to change to an unusually early spring, cold memories from winters past still linger. The same could be said of student politics at Howard.

Even though we are experiencing new, more innovative forms of student government, that old apathetic Howard culture still lingers. While we have HUSA Grants and the purge date has been abolished, students still have innumerable problems and concerns with financial aid, registration, and advisement.

The first HUSA/Trustee speak out for campaign season was last Monday. I did not go because I was in my room, halfway on the verge of tears, frantic about why I only had one class on my schedule. If I don't have any classes then my financial aid is out of order.

My scholarship expired last year, so when my classes do show up on my schedule, there's a strong chance my package will not cover the remaining balance. So there's all of that to worry about but that's not what got me out of sorts. I was frantic because amidst of this drama, I don't know anyone who can help me.

The help I need isn't a sympathetic handout. The type of help I am referring to goes hand-in-hand with the lack on investment in our student body. The culture of Howard is one of individualism that stems from competition over scarce resources.

Everyone here is going for his or her own thing. The apathy felt by students is indicative of this culture. I was frantic because I realized how alone I was, but then I realized that is there a deeper problem.

The problem isn't the "A-building" being some sort of bully to all students. The problem doesn't even come from the reality that there isn't enough money to go around. The problem with Howard is that we, as students haven't or don't even know how to assert ourselves as major stakeholders in this university.

If we, the Howard community, sat down and thought about how to develop all of our students into the engines of social change that Kelly Miller and W.E.B. DuBois called for, then we wouldn't be dealing with monetary issues.

The money would not stop coming in. We accept the status quo because that's how it's always been. I stopped panicking when I realized that things don't have to be as they were.

There is a class of students who don't know what it's like to have the HUSA Grants option. There is a younger class of students who have never been purged. There are older classes of students who remember the university before both of those student government achievements.

Even still, there are a lot of students across the board filling up the financial aid office. Nobody seems to be able to get advisement in the EAC. Classes are too full or not taught frequently enough to fit schemes.

Registration is all out of sorts. The international student population is dwindling. A lot of buildings on campus are in desperate need of repair. As a former student leader, my best advice is "do not suffer in silence."

Do not allow your issues to be unheard by the people running for student government. Make those people work for you once they win the elections. We are at a pivotal time when each stakeholder group needs to sit at the table and discuss our concerns. Now, more than ever, the entire Howard community ought to stand together to serve the needs of our nation and the world.

James Robinson is a senior biology and African American Studies major from Opa Locka, Fla.