Most of you probably don’t know how quiet it is here when you’re gone. It’s really, really quiet. So quiet you can hear the construction crew tearing up the road and creating your next traffic jam a half mile away. Or the other construction crew a half mile in the other direction. You hear the more-than-occasional preview tour coming through, and you hope they get inside somewhere before that thunderstorm you see rolling up drenches them.
OK, so it’s not SO quiet. But what is generally missing is the sound of your voices. What is missing is your energy. You transform this place, and we’re glad you’re back. From my first days as a lecturer and graduate student, I’ve been involved in higher education for 36 years, and still, the first days of class never get old.
While that excitement doesn’t change much, the students certainly have. Compared to students of three decades ago, studies say you are a much more diverse group in terms of race, gender, income level and many other factors. Studies show you are more socially involved than people your age have been in years. You volunteer more. You take up causes — justice is important to you, and the lack of it troubles you more.
More of you work while going to school. More of you face financial strains. And because all the news of the world is at your fingertips, far too many of you carry the weight of the world in your hearts. When that combines with the normal stresses of completing your assignments, anxiety, depression and other hazards can ratchet up. I see you as more willing to be open about what may be stressing you, and that is a VERY good thing. Never be afraid to reach out. There are people on this campus whose job it is to help you through tough times. And know that the faculty supports you as well.
This year’s first day comes at a consequential time in this country and in the world. After a pandemic, racial reckoning and backlash, and an even-more-toxic-than-usual political environment, it seems like we’ve been saying that a lot. My hope for you is that you are able to welcome dialogue, embrace difference, insist on respect and see that we are bound together by similar aspirations — aspirations that brought us here.
OK, that was a lot of serious stuff. But listen up — if you aren’t having fun here at UF, you are doing it wrong. So, remind yourself to take the time to laugh with your friends, sing loud and off-key (no judgment here), and make some memories. Just remember to hydrate on those hot football Saturdays (with WATER, you hear me??).
At the College of Journalism and Communications, we teach storytellers of all kinds, and we recognize that we are all writing our own story. For this year, I wish you one positive, raucous, page-turner of a chapter.
Oh, and one more thing: watch this space. By “this space,” I mean this grand old newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator. You might have noticed lately that they break a lot of news around here. When national networks and major newspapers are following your lead, you may be on to something. Happy headlines, folks.
Hub Brown is the dean of UF college of journalism and communications.
