The End to a Mediocre Year
by Ambassador James Davis

Another year has come and gone. A new set of alumni is rampaging through the summer streets, leaving with their fond memories of Kingsborough, from their moment of admission to their graduation after-parties. Now that the parties (and hopefully the hangovers) are over, it’s about that time we all review those so-called fond memories.

You know what really grinds my gears? Grand events that really are not so grand at all. Yes, the college has been known for hosting events that are attractive and/or inspiring. A good example is the Homecoming Day Carnival that was held last September. It was a traditional carnival where hundreds of people had fun playing games, riding rides, and eating treats. Faculty members and student volunteers helped out with the event by doing everything from organizing the games to dressing up in a clown’s outfit to entertain (or scare) the kids. The day ended with a homecoming parade and basketball events in the gym.

Shortly after, during the same month, was the unveiling of the International Hall of Flags. The ceremony introduced a permanent exhibit of 142 assorted flags that now hangs in the rafters above the college lounge, and in turn providing a constant reminder of diversity to the students that gaze upon it.

However, the Homecoming and Ceremony of Flags were the first events of the year, and it made it difficult for future events to live up to its caliber. With that said, a majority of the social gatherings that followed though the year just didn’t compare at all. One major instance that comes to mind is the Eco-festival. Millie Mardahay, a staff writer for Scepter who reviewed the event last April, stated that “the attendance and the interest level were lukewarm at best.” Needless to say, I am sure that the college was aiming for higher than lukewarm, but in some ways failed miserably.

Focusing on the hot-button topic of the environment, one would expect a better response from the students of Kingsborough. One may even be bold enough to expect an outrage to the lack of response. Sadly, no expectations were reached. Mardahay further stated that she believed “the problem with environmental apathy has to do with the fact that very few people can relate to it.” She continues by saying that there is not enough care for the environment.

Which brings up an interesting point. Kingsborough has an average of 30,000 students, but why are only a small margin of them interested in such events? Granted, all 30,000 students should not be expected to attend every single event, but the average attendance rate should be greater than lukewarm at best, especially for the larger scale extravaganzas such as the Eco-festival.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for some of the events held. It seems that the event coordinators of Kingsborough only focus on a certain type of attendee, which in turn alienates some students from the event scene. Take for example the arrival of best-selling author David Baldacci last March. Baldacci does have a fan base within the campus; however, hosting his lecture didn’t attract much of a diverse group. In fact, the crowd was made mostly of senior citizen women. This event didn’t spark much interest to the other majority of the campus community.

That is not to say that Baldacci’s event, or any event in particular, is not useful within the campus community. Every event, whether big or small, has weight on the social interests of Kingsborough. However, there should have been a greater number of events with more of a universal standard that can be interesting to almost any student. This year was a bust in terms of universalness.

As far as everything else, however, there were some diamonds in the rough.

One of those diamonds is the talent show of last May, hosted by the Poetry, Antheon, Public and Health Council, and AQUA clubs. This featured musicians, dancers, and poets who each competed to be the best of Kingsborough. The Seaside Splash is an annual event that aids in the raising of money for student scholarships for three years in a row. Due to a downpour of rain, there was nothing “seaside” about the Splash at all. It was moved into the MAC Rotunda. Although there were not any bonfires, sandy beaches, or dancing under the star-filled sky like the Splash of the previous year, there was still an amazing assortment food, hors d’oeuvres, and alcoholic drinks. Another noteworthy event was the Awards ceremony, a pre-graduation event where hundreds of students receive medals and certificates of achievement, as well as scholarships for the select few.

Finally comes the grand finale of all events; Graduation Day. Sure, there is no best-selling authors, environmentalists, or a grand assortment of free food… but if you are a graduating student, the feeling of leaving with a shiny degree will trump all previous events (hopefully). If you are a parent of a graduating student, you leave with knowing that your child is one step closer to moving out of your house!

For those not so fortunate to graduate just yet, you can still check out the Homecoming Day events that are approaching. If you are sad about not leaving or if your friends are leaving Kingsborough, then join the carnival and have some cotton candy to cheer you up. And just think, you will have a whole new set of events to keep you occupied. Hopefully, the school will take heed to my advice and consider more universal events for a more universal college.