Whenever I pass through the connector, I have been drawn to the opinion board, which until recently was located in the Union. Over the past few weeks it has been filled with different faculty and staff members’ opinions on the national anthem ruling. I have been very interested in reading their stories. Many of them share experiences overseas showcasing the violent side of nationalism; all of them express disappointment with Goshen College’s decision to play the national anthem.
I have mixed emotions as I read the opinion board. On the one hand, I’m a little bit tired of talking about the national anthem issue. Goshen College has spent a lot of time and energy discussing this topic in the past year, and there are other worthy topics on campus to discuss. On the other hand, I appreciate that the administration is open to discuss and reconsider decisions. What I have noticed, however, is that the contributors to the opinion board are almost entirely faculty and staff. Where are the students’ opinions?I find it difficult to believe that students stopped having an opinion on this topic after the final decision of the national anthem. Maybe, like me, most students are tired of talking about it. Maybe students are unaware that the opinion board has been moved. The connector is less of a central location for juniors and seniors who don’t live in the dorms. Whatever the reason, this needs to change. The opinion board is there for us, after all. Let’s begin conversation on the opinion board again. We certainly aren’t limited to discussing the national anthem—what are some other local, national, or worldwide issues you want to discuss?
