Still, we don’t understand the importance of a tool, especially social media in today’s world, until we feel its existence is threatened. Now, the U.S. government wants to tell my friends that they are not going to have access to the platform anymore because TikTok is a national security issue.
Last weekend, I went flower shopping at Kroger. Walking through the store, I couldn’t help but notice the section dedicated to Valentine’s Day. From overpriced squishmallows to different brands of chocolates, I wondered if the holiday actually meant anything.
When I started high school in 2019, everyone saw the “gays and lesbians” as the new big thing in Macedonia. I recall a time when books and publishers were fetishizing the “new normal” plaguing us from the West and the U.S. There were bold movies normalizing gay romance, and protests were held for the first time. All of a sudden, the rainbow turned from a playful object in children’s books to the most controversial topic at dinner tables.
For most Miami University students, the main way to stay in touch with professors outside of class is through email. For students of Erikamarie Wick, that’s not the case.
When I first walked into Harrison Hall, the home of the political science department, I noticed two things. First, the cozy chairs and couches on the first floor proudly echo the lively conversations between professors and students in the hallways. Second, the gloomy atmosphere compliments a place that has endured history and therefore demands respect.
When I heard about Miami University’s decision to part ways with Aramark, I was shocked. This decision was made without any prior student or Aramark staff consultation and is unjust and lacking transparency.
I have never felt fuzzy about myself. Coming to college, I had all the self-confidence needed to uncover my veils of ignorance and to discover new truths. Almost a year and a half later, I am convinced I knew more about myself and the world when I was 14 than I do now at 20.
No matter how much fresh air I breathe sitting by the Seal, whenever I walk into the residence halls I am greeted by my fellow students’ obsession with air purification. If you are a returning student living in the residence halls, you already know that air purifiers are an invasive species.
They say college is the perfect place to meet people, build your network and even fall in love. But from the looks of it, higher education might be the one global institution manufacturing frenzied, robotic, so-called academic citizens ready to take you up on the “we live in a simulation” debate.
Whether new or familiar with Miami University’s landscapes, incoming students have one thing in common: the hopes and fears they bring with them as they are leaving what once was and entering a new and important era in their lives.