I was in the kitchen kneading dough for a pizza last night, when my favorite E.I.C calls and says, “Robin, you trippin’ with the staff ed.”
Oh, carp!
I had to kick out another editorial before 10:00p.m. and it was 8:55 p.m.
There I was, slapping the dough around and perusing possible subjects in my head. Do I want to talk about the trip to D.C. last week? Um, yeah! But I’ll blog that. Do I have any Green for All campus initiatives to discuss? Always, but those I’ll save for my weekly online article.
And then, I thought, “Well, it’s pretty great going to FAMU.” Suddenly, the Jimmy Neutron Brain Blast happened.
Maybe it’s because I just got here and only have one soul-rending Foote-Hellyer (not a typo) story so far, but I think Florida A&M is a great school. Sometimes, I feel alone in that belief. Time and time again, I walk into conversations about how FAMU sucks, financial aid is the devil and whatnot. I disagree.
FAMU has some incredible opportunities awaiting anyone who wants to take them. For instance, I just got here and I’ve been to the nation’s capital three times, seen the White House up-close and represented some really incredible organizations that promote the health and well being of the planet. All thanks to FAMU. I’ll take the credit only in that I saw the chances and took them.
Yes, administration can be a hassle. Yes, we need modernized classrooms. But many of the professors I’ve met are trying. And there are some really dedicated students who sincerely believe in making FAMU the best. From what I’ve heard, we already are beating out most HBCUs in the quality of our school paper, our business school, our pharmacy school and the list goes on.
So, here’s a thought: let’s not gripe about what’s wrong with FAMU unless we’re willing to work to make it better. A lot of older people I’ve talked to say simply that if students want to see a change that they should organize and make it happen; go militant, if necessary. Here’s hoping. And maybe the cynicism will set in a couple semesters down the road. But, as for right now, FAMU rocks.