Student involvement in university-sponsored events is important. Yes.
The university makes these events exciting for students to attend. No.
Students do need to make more of an effort to be involved in university events such as convocation, but no one can blame students for not wanting to attend a yawn-fest full of the same things they’ve heard time and time again. At that point, it would be just as productive to take a nap.
Convocation is supposed to cater to everyone at the university in opening up the new school year. However, the university is missing its largest audience when most students don’t even attend, and the ones who do aren’t even bothering to cover up their yawns.
Coming up with the theme of “sustainability” for convocation with the intention of starting something to improve the future shows the amount of thought that went into this event. However, it is a wasted effort when the students, who are ultimately the future, aren’t interested enough to come.
Baker students have shown they are capable of becoming involved in events at the university, even those related to convocation. All of the students who signed up for the prayer vigil preceding convocation showed that students can be dedicated to involvement in the university.
Now it is up to the university to find a way to get students as involved with convocation itself as they were with the event leading up to it. If students know they will not be engaged, they will not bother to show up. And who can blame them?