Teaching styles across Pierce Campuses

Special events and guests are a norm on American college campuses.  It harbors a sense of community and learning outside of the classroom, but Pierce is uniquely split into two separate campuses and communities: Puyallup and Fort Steilacoom.

However, not all events are created equal.  Though “fun” events are good for building an exciting community for students, Pierce’s Steilacoom campus has seen little in the way of more serious, educational events that focus on issues affecting students and the world at large, outside of the required biweekly Student Government meetings.  

In the past few months alone, Puyallup has featured conferences on the Syrian Crisis, US-Russia Relations, an info session on the Students of Color Conference, as well as special guest talks from the likes of civil rights activist Joan Trumpauer Mulholland.  No such things at the Steilacoom campus, at least as far as the calendar on Pierce’s website advertises.  Why not?  

Colleges shouldn’t just be fostering learning and critical thought within the classroom, but outside of it as well.  It’s the place where students aren’t just taught facts, but as well how to take their learning to the outside world and apply it to their careers and lives as a whole.  Discussions about current events, politics, and problems in their direct surroundings and around the world will enrich the campus’ sense of community, and get students involved in events that are ongoing and directly affecting them.

This isn’t just directed at the college’s direct leadership, but to the members of Student Life as well.  These discussions, open forums, info sessions, and the like, these are things that need to happen.  Political Action Day is a good start, but see what else you can come up with right here on campus.  What are the problems that are directly affecting our community?  It’s an election year too, a great time to talk politics.

A challenge is being issued: get our students involved in the world around them, the one going on outside their classes and free snacks.  Are you up to the task?