I have noticed a phenomenon at recent cultural events that annoys me. Students, probably mostly freshmen in global classes, will go up to staff and faculty members who are at the event and get them to sign a sheet of paper documenting that they were present at the event.

This trend is becoming more and more widespread because I see it more at each new cultural event that I attend.

It bothers me because some professors are assuming that students cannot be trusted on their own to attend cultural events that are assigned for their classes.

All I can think of are the signed hallway passes that were required for any movement within the schools that I went to before college.

I believe that the pettiness of requiring a signature to prove that a student attended a cultural event amounts to a form of hand-holding.

It is tacitly acknowledging that in many ways, college is not much more than an extension of high school and of adolescence in general. It is important that students start to take control of their own

educations.

If they dont want to go to these cultural events, then it is their prerogative. They are simply missing out on the rich intellectual contributions that these speakers make to our campus environment.

Students should go to cultural events because they genuinely want to, not because they are forced to by their hand-holding professors.

Many individuals who dont want to be at these events show this attitude by disrespectfully leaving in the middle of the

lecture.

Cultural events are for all of the Elon community to enjoy. Professors, please stop asking your students to get signatures to prove that they attended the event.

If they are interested in going, they will. As the saying goes, one can lead a horse to water but cannot force it to drink.

Professor cannot force students to enjoy speakers.

Student: Charlie Remy, 07 - 03/15/07