Brittany Wilson
By Brittany Wilson (Whetstone Staff Writer)
I’ve always been independent.
Not sure why, but I have never liked the idea of dependence or reliance on other people to succeed. To me, it feels like an excuse for individual insufficiency, and I’d rather do it on my own.
This kind of independence can put a strain on relationships—that has proven itself true at Wesley, just as it has in my life.
This semester, Wesley administration decided to integrate student fees into the cost of general tuition.
It didn’t seem like a big deal to me – at least until I realized that more than half of these fees previously funded all independent student organizations on campus, including the SGA, student activities and student media.
Wesley’s chief financial officer wants control over all of the money, and the fates of all student organizations.
As the managing editor of The Whetstone, I feel very strongly about the issue. Stripping student organizations of their financial independence and censoring student media is like cutting out the tongue of the student body. Where is the students’ voice?
The most disturbing thing, perhaps, is how easily it was all stripped away. Without warning or even a second glance, student independence was cast aside by our administration.
If not for student independence, what does Wesley College exist for?  Certainly not for the staff and administration—without students, their jobs are purposeless. Faculty aren’t faculty without students to teach. And what’s a CFO without a college to work in or student tuition to manage? Certainly not the supreme authority.
As a student, I have come to realize that one of the most valuable functions of a college is providing the motivation necessary for students to become independent. To work hard, explore options, and learn what life is all about. To make decisions, problem solve and operate individually. It’s a taste of the real world— finally on our own, away from home and out from under mommy’s thumb.
Novelist Alice Walker said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.â€
As a student body, we have power. We are this college. Without us, Wesley College cannot exist. Declaring independence is what we came here to do. And that’s exactly what we will continue fighting for.
