Dear editor,
On Oct. 2 around 4 p.m., I walked to the fountain on [the] UNK campus to support the students who assembled there to protest against UNK administration’s proposed decision to cut faculty/staff positions associated with humanity. Coincidently, it happened to be the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi who kept fighting against injustice throughout his entire life and believed in peaceful opposition and free speech without fear. I also saw there a few (not many) faculty members, mainly from [the] Arts. Let us hope that student voices will be heard by UNK administration and taken into account while making final decisions. Who knows? But one thing is known – the number in the rally matters.
Napoleon once said, “The world suffers a lot, not because of violence of the bad people, but because of the silence of the good people.” Echoing similar sentiments, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “Our life begins to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” The earlier these quotes resonate in our minds, the better it is for all – students, faculty and community. University education is not merely about getting jobs but about inclusive growth and fulfillment in life. Great physicist Albert Einstein said, “A life without playing music is inconceivable for me.” I hope that UNK decisions become conceivable enough someday.
Vijendra Boken, Professor
Department of Geography, UNK
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