Politicians just don't care about us. College students will no longer be able to say that if Wes Bearden is elected to the Arlington City Council. Bearden, 22, is a full-time TCU student. At a time when college students are continuously derided for their lack of political participation, Bearden has shown that some of us are committed to being involved citizens. At a time when simply voting is a chore to most of us, Bearden has launched a campaign for City Council in his hometown. But does he have a chance? Well, with more than 20,000 college students in Arlington, we would hope so. But do college students vote? Many people, including Bearden, are worried. He said there is a problem with college-student voter turnout. "College students are either not registered or don't vote," Bearden said. "That is also why younger people tend to not get what they want." If we feel that politicians aren't representing our views and tackling our concerns, we can take action. Registering to vote, being informed about the candidates and then voting is essential. And if you don't vote because you think no one represents your views, run for office yourself. Sure, it would be difficult. Campaigning, raising money, proving competence, getting taken seriously by the media and constituents are certainly obstacles young candidates would face. But some students are demonstrating that they are willing to make the sacrifice.
Real-world life requires changes Picture yourself enveloped within a lush tropical paradise. You are lounging contentedly on a cushioned recliner, and fair maidens are feeding you passion fruit and fanning you with palm fronds. Suddenly, a gaping hole opens in the floor, and your recliner drops into the chasm, cascading down into a black void. Taken by surprise, you plunge dizzily, without any clue of fate's cruel plan for your poor soul. It is now barely three weeks until I walk across the stage at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum, and, until last week, I was beginning to feel the trappings of the nightmare described above. I was sending out résumés left and right, calling around to look for opportunities, and each day, it was becoming clearer to me that I was about to plunge into the abyss of professional life without much of a clue of what I was going to be doing. TCU hasn't exactly been a cakewalk - some aspects of my education here have actually been pretty challenging - but over the past few years, I have developed a high comfort level here. I know my role on campus. I know who my friends are and where to find them. I know the professors to turn to for advice, and the ones from whom to stay away. And, of course, I know how to get the maximum bang for my buck at that overpriced greasy spoon we call The Main. I must leave this comfort behind because things are going to change pretty quickly post-graduation. I am happy to say I have accepted a position in the Internet industry at a company in Dallas. However, this will require a major upheaval of my life, changing from the wake-up-late-and-stay-up-'til-dawn mentality I have adopted here at college to the button-down schedule of a corporate lackey. Maybe I should adopt corporate tactics to readjust my life to that of a professional. I can downsize my social life to cut costs and maximize the use of what little free time I have left. I can bring in a productivity consultant to analyze how I can get more work done during the day rather than the middle of the night, the time when I usually write most term papers and finish class projects. Heck, maybe I'll even hire a health expert to figure out how to improve my diet from my current staples - pizza, burgers and Fat Harry's. As I walked across campus Monday night, it became clear to me how much I will miss this place. The buildings, the beautifully manicured grounds and even the maintenance men careening down the sidewalks in their little trucks are all a part of TCU and have become a part of me. Sure, I can come back as a puffed-up alumnus for football games, but I will miss the little things that come with being on campus every day. I will miss the feeling of being on the field at Amon Carter Stadium during halftime. I will miss the double-entendres and witty comebacks fired constantly around the Skiff newsroom at crunch time. I will miss the gratification of being on the air at KTCU and receiving a positive phone call or e-mail message from a listener who really got into the music I was playing. I will miss the convoluted parliamentary procedure of fraternity meetings. Most of all, I will miss the many hours spent just wasting time with friends. So here I am, about to take the plunge into the professional world, four years after entering this university wondering if I made the right decision. I had thought seriously about going to the University of Texas, where many of my high school friends were going, or even making the drive to Columbia, Mo., to attend the journalism school at the University of Missouri. I visited these schools and liked them a lot, but something kept bringing me back to TCU. Maybe it was the smaller size or the proximity to home, but I felt like some force was telling me to give it a try. Four years later, I don't regret my decision one bit.
Alan Melson is a graduating senior broadcast
journalism major from Richardson.
When I got to Texas, not many people tried to talk to me. They just looked at me. Did I look strange? Did I look too ugly to talk to? I don't think I am ugly. I know I am not a beautiful girl, but I am not too ugly to talk to. But there was something that made people distance themselves from me. I didn't know why until I finally found someone to talk to. When I started talking to some American students, they were amazed at the way I spoke. They said, "Wow, you can speak English so well. I was afraid to talk to you because I didn't know whether you could speak English or not." That was the reason. People didn't start talking to me because they were assuming that I did not speak English. What a stereotype! Yes, I do have a strong accent when I speak my native language, Korean, but not English! With my typical, beautiful accent, nobody has any problems understanding me. And now my friends love when I talk. As I talked with different people and shared what was going on in my life, I realized my dream. When I was in sixth grade, my teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. "What do I want to be?" I started thinking and thinking. Of course, I had many different dreams, but it was time for me to think about what I really wanted to do. I knew I enjoyed being in front of people and entertaining them. I loved to sing, act and speak in public, and I still do. I had a lot of dreams, and I still have them. To have a dream is very important to me. And I believe that everyone should have his or her own dream in life. My dream led me from Korea to India nine years ago, and then from Korea to America. Dreaming will lead people somewhere in this world. I said, "One day, I will be a movie star, singer, host of the 'Jimmy Nam Talk Show' and major TV station anchor." I know after you read what I just wrote, you will say, "Jimmy! Dream on. It's very good to have many dreams, but don't expect all of them to come true in your life. You can have a dream, but dreams are just dreams." Well, OK, maybe you're right, but I don't agree with it. I am young, and I have a lot of capabilities to make my dreams come true. I will have at least 50 years to work on my dreams. It's not a long time, but I will take it step by step. I took the first step when I was 14. Even though my dad insisted I stay home with my family and be a normal high school student in Korea, I decided to go to India. It was an adventure for me. And you will ask why India? India is such a beautiful country that if you ever want to travel, go there. I believe God blessed me so much to send me to Woodstock School, an International Missionary Boarding School. I learned how to speak English at Woodstock School. It was not easy to learn English, and I'm still learning and studying English, Chinese and Spanish. Learning or speaking other languages is challenging, and I can't deny how important it is to learn English. Of course, there are many languages I would like to learn, too. I am trying to travel to as many places as I can, and I have decided to learn at least five different languages fluently before I die. When I came to TCU, I realized this place was where I had to work for my dream to come true. For my dream to be a journalist, my major challenge is to master the English language. As this is my last semester, I am trying to get my foot into the business, but it is not coming easily. A lot of people believe graduating college will make their dreams come true, but let me tell you that you are just taking the first step. After graduation, I do not know where I am going to be, but as long as I believe my dreams, it will take me somewhere. I know I will never give up my dreams. I just need more time to prepare myself to be ready for the right time. And I believe that God will lead me in his way. I also would like to say to my great friends, professors, family and people at TCU, thank you for being so friendly and nice to me. You all encouraged me to make all my dreams come true! I won't forget your love. I will miss you so much.
Jimmy Nam is a graduating senior broadcast
journalism major from Seoul, South Korea.
- Ryan Keeler, senior engineering major
- Tomomi Nakath, senior psychology major
- Caleb Wagner, senior political science major
- James Buckner, senior music education major
- Matt Lantz, senior English major |
"The football team has gotten a lot
better. The engineering department has gotten more students involved. Campus
security has gotten somewhat tighter."
"The recruiting of international students
has (been) enhanced. There are more international students and services.
More people stand out on campus."
"Renovations to (fraternity and sorority)
chapter houses and the new Tom Brown/Pete Wright Residential Community
are nice. PeopleSoft is something else that has made a difference."
"The new buildings, like the Walsh
Center and Tom Brown/Pete Wright, have been added to the campus. The TCU
Band has gone from good to amazing."
"There have been lots of campus improvements, like
the Alumni Center, (residence hall) renovations, the Walsh Center and Tom
Brown/Pete Wright. It shows the university is going somewhere, and it is
trying to make improvements."
The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |