Anonymous Letter 1: The Forgotten Students

To Whom it May Concern,

I was referred to you due to your position on the paper. I wrote this letter to speak on behalf of the forgotten Millikin student. I believe there lies a different Millikin behind the beaming faces on bright blue flyers, one that isn’t graced by the magnificence of the Theatre Department’s new building, the wonders of Greek life, or the magic of P. White. It think that Millikin is an incredibly isolated university. Due to the constant pushing for “performance learning,” people become incredibly disconnected, and mired in their small worlds. And those not within these small circles? Forgotten. I believe that in striving for college atmospheres specifically calibrated to ones major, we’ve created and incredibly isolated, disconnected, and depressed student body.

I merely wanted to bring what I feel is a pressing issue to your attention, to hopefully spread awareness and provoke some further digging into this. Because I know that I am not alone.

Sincerely,

Anonymous I

Anonymous Letter 2: The Lonely Students

To Whom it May Concern,

It was made aware to me that you write for the newspaper. If you find any interest in this, I encourage you to run with it and do some further digging.

I’m writing you on behalf of the forgotten students. It’s come to my attention that a great many Millikin students described their feelings at Millikin as “lonely” or “depressed” and this feeling seemed pervasive across a wide variety of majors, and backgrounds. Even behind the bliss that radiates sororities and fraternities can’t cover up the clear fact that many of Millikin’s Greek brothers and sisters are just as lonely. Why though? Is it the soy? The tiny campus? The snow?

I believe that Millikin’s emphasis on performance learning has created an incredibly divided and disconnected student body. People’s entire lives are kept to a very small sphere of people and rarely do students step outside of that. Half of the student body living behind the locked bars of the woods only furthers the problems.

But that’s truly the main issue. Millikin has no real student body; no unity. Millikin is made up of cliques and small groups. The soccer team, the theatre majors, the honors program… Where is a place for students who don’t yet know what they want to be? With so much push to live one’s entire life as their profession, where is there room at Millikin to be human? To discover what kind of person you want to be?

Even the seemingly content individuals who find themselves at the heart of said groups are no happier though. Pressure to perform when one’s entire future is already planned out for them is daunting for anyone.

I appreciate your time. You may do with this what you wish. Research, publish, explore further or throw it in the trash. I merely wanted to spread the word on behalf of the great many others who feel as I do. Thank you.