A couple of weeks ago, the president of the university -- Dr. Graham B. Spanier -- rolled onto campus for the kickoff of the "Grand Destiny" fundraising campaign, which is being used to build our new Buck Union Building (BUB) and provide scholarship money.
   There was so much hype about his visit, I honestly thought that this was a really important event. And, I'm sure that it was for the donors, the families of the people who names are on our buildings and faculty/staff. But for me, I spent an evening of my fall break (which I could have spent sleeping, at the movies or with friends) staring at food I wasn't allowed to eat, listening to speeches that had no direct meaning to me and feeling utterly uncomfortable and out of place.
Why did I feel this way? Because I was in a room full of people who seemed more interested in patting each other on the back, than talking to the students on whom this university is built. Not only was I disappointed at President Spanier's speech, which basically spit back facts and information that had previously been mentioned, but also I was disgusted at the way some of the guests acted.
   To my knowledge and observation, not too many of those who were being honored or giving money went even remotely out of their way to meet some of the students who have or will be benefiting from their contributions, donations and vision. None of the people that I tried introducing myself to (outside of the ones that I all ready knew) gave me the time of day. It made no sense to me to hear how much these people loved this place and cared about its future but would not even smile at the students who ARE this campus' future.
   The long and the short of it ... I think that one of the reasons we're getting a new BUB is that there are just too many people that need to have their names in conspicuous places. Regardless of who they are and what they've done, if the students are nothing more than "entertainment" to show off the campus' talent, then how much can they really say they care? I don't know what anyone else thinks. Maybe it's just me.

This column is the opinion of the writer, Ms. Fox, who serves on the Student Government Association Executive Board, and does not necessarily reflect the views of members of SGA, the Collegian staff or its advisers.