Effective change requires students to take action

By Johnathan McFadden

With “The Ministry of Truth” speaking for all of Winthrop and changes being made for the supposed benefit of the student body and university as a whole, student complaint is on the rise.

Even I have taken a couple of stabs at the university’s hierarchical administration.

But, the world runs on a two-way street.

Now it’s time to take a stab at the students doing the complaining, myself included. 

Complaining is easy. It doesn’t require much energy at all. Strong group dynamics, friendships and cliques are even formed from common complaints. It’s a skill that can be harnessed from the safety of study groups, classrooms or dorms. 

Either way, the complaints don’t reach the people who need to hear them. The only productive thing that comes out of it is an exchange of mutual ideas and concerns.

So, after that, what has changed? 

Not much. 

Complaining about the school and doing nothing about it is almost like complaining about the government when you have never voted when you had the opportunity to do so.

American history was filled with complaint; most of the time, the people who wanted change had to make it themselves.

Our founding forefathers wanted freedom from an oppressive and intrusive government. So, they drafted a Declaration of Independence and a constitution.

Women demanded the right to vote, so they held protests, marches and rallies until those rights were awarded to them. 

Martin Luther King, Jr., desired equality between all races and, thusly, spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement alongside several others. 

If we want change, we have to make change.

If we want things improved, we have to take steps and actions to improve them.

If we want to be heard by the top dogs and want them to listen to us, then we need to speak loudly and boldly. 

Last semester, Winthrop held the Liberty Tree series, which celebrated the First Amendment freedoms of speech and press. To honor these freedoms, a willow oak was planted in the front entrance of campus—a reminder of Winthrop’s commitment to these essential and core values in our nation.  

We have the right to voice our concerns and opinions and we have the right to take it to the top dogs. It’s even in the Declaration of Independence. If a government isn’t working for us, we have the right to change it. 

It’s time to exercise that right. 

Am I saying we can change the way Winthrop works?

Of course not, we’re not in that position but we don’t have to take it lying down. We don’t have to be relegated to voicing issues to other concerned students in the study room of the library. 

Protests are probably not the answer; in fact, they could lead a lot of people in a lot of trouble and we wouldn’t want that. Creative and constructive action on the part of students is what needed. 

In an editorial cartoon published in The Johnsonain two weeks ago, “The Ministry of Truth” has the faculty, residence life and CSL bound and gagged. None of us were included in that illustration.