By Tony Epsinal
“There’s no point in saving a school that trains people to manage fleets of horses if the motorcar has taken over horse-drawn transportation.’’
Those were the words President Michael McRobbie of Indiana University used about the historic Ernie Pyle School of Journalism.
Recently, the IU board of trustees voted to merge the storied school with other departments.
As the merger pushes forward, the students of IU feel their voices are being ignored as they tried desperately to save the journalism school from being erased.
The student newspaper of IU, the Indiana Daily Student, reported the dean of the College of Arts and Science stated he doesn’t have faith that his undergraduates have the ability to think critically.
I was an undergraduate student of IU and my wife is a graduate of Ernie Pyle. So, imagine how we felt when we heard those quotes.
So what do IU issues have to do with Butler?
Butler University was founded in 1855. That is more than 150 years of culture and tradition that has been developed by faculty, students and alumni.
Could you imagine if all that disappeared without one single bit of input from its students?
Imagine, one day, waking up and finding out that the administration moved Hinkle Fieldhouse, closed down the Holcomb Gardens or decided that there would no longer be a Blue, but change the storied mascot’s name to George.
I know what you are thinking: “That would never happen here.”
I’m sure the students of the Ernie Pyle School thought the same thing at one point.
As students, it is crucial for us to become involved in the dealings of our school, because it is our school.
We are the people who walk the gardens of Holcomb and pack Hinkle Fieldhouse. We are the ones that keep the traditions of Butler alive by going to the games and cheering our team.
And we are the ones who have control over whether or not our voices will be heard when it comes time for the administration to make changes to our school.
So spend some time getting involved in campus.
Keep up with student government and how they are representing us on campus.
If you don’t take the time to get involved, you may find that one day the school we came to know and love may end up being a shell of its former glory, and you had no say in it.
