The Griffin Editorial: On Apathy in the Student Body

Canisius University’s undergraduate enrollment the past academic year, that of 2024-2025, was 1,724, making us a school on the smaller size, which is not a surprise to you. This means that each student’s contributions are valued to the university. The small student body allows for students to be noticed, and for them to have opportunities available that might otherwise be extremely competitive at a larger school. There are work study opportunities, tutoring openings and programs like Canisius Earning Excellence Program (CEEP) that create openings for students to work with professors in their field of interest and get paid for it. There are numerous leadership opportunities, like retreats and clubs, yet it feels as if these opportunities are looked over by most of the student body. 

There are a very involved few that are seen campaigning for presidents of clubs, putting on campus events and encouraging student involvement, but the attendance events around campus are very few, and it is often just the same group of students at all the events. Granted, for those students who are the ones involved, these opportunities are theirs for the taking. For example, one of my close friends on campus – a very hardworking student – found his way to becoming president of one of Canisius’s most important clubs in just his second semester on campus without having any competition for their spot. 

I’m not making this point to say that he is unqualified because he is young, for he is one of the most qualified people I know to be in a leadership role, but because of the fact that he was a freshman and it is an example of how accessible these roles are. But with this lack of mass-involvement comes struggle. Not too long ago, during the voting process for deciding the United Student Association candidacy, I got a knock on the door as I’m just chilling doing whatever, it turns out to be one candidate asking for people to vote. So, accordingly, my roommates and I scanned their QR code and voted. Before this I never thought about people going door to door for them to vote, and initially thought it was kind of odd behavior, but it really makes sense. With the lack of student involvement, how are these elections going to be determined in a fair manner?

This is a problem that I think is rooted in the majority of the student population being apathetic towards campus involvement. A majority group in a small population not interested in being involved is destructive to everyone, even to those involved. It’s important to be enthusiastic about things around you, to be responsive to others and spend time doing things. It’s beneficial to the individual but also to the environment around them. Doing nothing is destructive.

As of recently, there has been some increase in the undergraduate enrollment which is of great benefit to the university and the environment of the campus. So, without being idealistic, there is hope for an increase in student involvement, and from here on out The Underground will be pumping campus involvement propaganda into student’s everyday lives via brain-chemistry altering amoeba in the iced coffee at Tim Hortons.

-ADK