President Samuelson,
I thank you
in advance for your time. I am a senior majoring in Family Life and one of the
classes I have taken this term has been Dr. Sarah Coyne’s Media, Family, and Human Development. We have talked about many
aspects of the media including: infant media, sex, reality TV, literature, social
networking, advertising, music, etc. It is music in particular that I wish to
speak with you. I have learned from my own experience that music can be one of
the most influential types of media we have access to today. It has the power
to increase good feelings and welcome the presence of the Spirit but it also
has the ability to drive the Spirit away and enhance negative and destructive
feelings.
Since my
first semester here at BYU I have noticed the fast-growing trend for students
to walk around on campus with headphones in their ears listening to music. As a
first-year student I was nervous to join the ranks at such a wonderful
university especially, when it seemed that everyone was more interested in the
noise in their ears, rather than the people around them. Please do not
misunderstand, I know the uplifting power of music and I also know the peace
students can find in moments of solitude. However, I believe our university
could be a much better place if more emphasis was placed on reaching out to our
fellow students and offering a hand of friendship rather than being distracted
by this form of media.
Part of the
saying that is inscribed on the monument as you enter BYU campus is “Go Forth
to Serve;” I submit that we should not have to wait until graduation to serve
God’s children but that there are opportunities all around us, everyday, on BYU
campus. I hope that with your encouragement more students will be inclined to
observe the people and places around them at our beautiful university and seek
out opportunities to show love and friendship. Thank you again for your time
and your continual support for the students and university.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Buhler
Brigham Young University
i agree. it can definitely be hard to be actually present when walking around campus with so many due dates on your mind. but we would all do better to notice those around us more.
ReplyDeleteI love this!! I know that i try and not use my headphones on campus because i love talking to people and the funny thing is when i do put my headphones in i always end up seeing someone i know and i unplug the headphones.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Bonnie :)
ReplyDeleteI recently attended a PTA convention for the state on the BYU campus. Brad Wilcox who is a professor at BYU talked about this very thing and how we should be taking the ear phones out and saying hello to those who pass by us each day. He says he gets a lot of crazy looks from students because he literally says hello to everyone he walks by. Good letter! Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own world that we don't look outward.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness I totally agree with all of this! My cousins, who go to Utah State University, came down to visit one time and they were amazed at how little interaction there is between students on campus. I think that it is a big problem. Way to go with the letter!
ReplyDeleteGreat letter! You'll have to let me know if he responds.
ReplyDelete