Hey readers,

I don’t know about you guys, but I had a few fictional characters that I aspired to be when I was a kid. Among them were Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan and Hermione Granger. But a standout was Rory Gilmore of “Gilmore Girls.”

I was raised homeschooled and my mom, my sister, Emily, and I would break for lunch at 11 a.m. every weekday and watch an episode of “Gilmore Girls” on ABC Family. Rory is a name taking, no nonsense, good hearted, coffee drinking journalist who always stands up for what’s right and isn’t afraid to admit when she’s wrong.

Rory taught me a lot of things, but the most important thing was to be a question asker. She’s not a stranger to challenging the status quo and calling people out when they’re being less than honest.

This year, my editorial team and I have had to ask a lot of questions. We’ve had a hockey study, an Athletics Director who quit out of the blue, special lecturers who were booted from their offices, veterans who feel poorly treated, issues with how money is spent, a possible online degree program and so much more. I can hands down say that this has been my craziest year as a journalist at The Oakland Post.

But that’s a good thing.

You see, as students, we’re not really the people calling the shots around here. And just as my staff puts in their opinions on how The Post should be run, it is our job as students to say what we want from our institution.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Oakland University’s current administration is the best it’s been in the four years I’ve been a student here. As the editor-in-chief, it’s part of my job to get to know administrators, and many of them are people who I really think are trying to do the right thing for this university.

But try as they might, nobody is going to get it right every time and many of them don’t have the perspective that you and I do as 20-somethings who are dirt poor and haven’t ever had a career. This is exactly why it is so important for all of us as students to get involved and speak up.

One thing that students don’t do nearly enough is attend the Board of Trustees meetings. The BOT is the president’s boss, and the people who sit on the Board make lots of important decisions. The BOT’s schedule is always posted on its web page and the meetings, though not exciting all the time, keep you informed and show administrators that you care about what they do.

Another simple outlet to get involved with administrators is to get involved with a SAFAC org. These include The Post, 88.3FM WXOU, Student Congress, Student Activities Funding Board, Student Program Board, Student Video Productions, Student Life and Lecture Board and Club Sports. Though I root for all student orgs, I know first hand that SAFAC has a great opportunity to make a difference on campus. The Residence Halls Association is also a great outlet for on-campus residents.

Questioning authority, while extremely uncomfortable, has made much of my staff and myself grow as people this year and affect some positive changes around our wonderful campus. If I leave you with only one thing, let it be this: Keep your ears and your eyes open.

Peace out,

-Shelby