U of M students just don't care

[annm4peace]

A group of Vietnam Veterans, Guys arrested for breaking in and burning draft cards, Guys who refused to go Vietnam, and some others who included a Vietnam and Iraqi Veteran put together an event at the U of M today.

They invited the students, and offered them free breakfast, free lunch.

It was at the Great Hall in the Coffman Union.

Colored posters where made and put around campus, Professor where told, There wasn't extra money for 1000.00 radio ads, or tv spots. The local paper wouldn't cover it.

The Veterans and those who refused to serve just wanted the students to see what it was like to have a Draft and think about if a Draft was called this year.. what would they do?

And if they could, come here some Veterans tell their story.

Only 5 U of M students showed up. They just don't care Will they care when the draft actually does happen? Will I care, as I see them board the buses? I'm not sure.

Tomorrow the Draft starts at 10am at Augsburg. Will these students be any different ?

www.pwh-mn.org

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. It's all the result of 25 years of purposeful dumbing down of America

as well the mainstream media (the only kind most people see) relentlessly pushing celebrity gossip as news and putting the REAL news on the back pages, if they mention it at all.

[MnFats]

2. jesus but that is sad....there should be tens of thousands in the streets...

....
it was done many times during vietnam, and not only because of the draft...but because it was an immoral and illegal war..

[LuckyLib]

3. People are fat and happy (or not necessarily happy). But they have their toys.

As for U students? Most are working their asses off to pay the outrageous tuition increases foisted on them by a legislature who doesn't support higher ed.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. There could be something to that

In 1968, tuition (not including room and board) for a full-time student in the CLA was $125.00 per quarter. That was 100 times the minimum wage.

The U has gone to semesters, so let's take the price for a whole year and note that a full year cost 300 times the minimum wage. A student could easily earn that in a part-time job, and it was not a terrible burden for a middle-class family.

To be at the same level of affordability today, it would have to be $1845 per year. Instead, it's $7950 this year and scheduled to go up even more.

[northernsoul]

5. Instead of blaming students, rethink your approach

It sounds like your whole outreach consisted of colored posters and hoping that some professor somewhere would say something. Did you make any attempt at having a web presence? Do you text or email any students? Was this event sponsored by a student organization? Where there any students with any sort of investment in this event?

With all due respect, it sounds to me like you used an approach that might've worked 30-40 years ago and tried to force it on a student population that will reflexively tune-out such efforts. All the college-age kids I know have no appetite for a draft whatsoever, so I think that you have a message that they would respond to if you communicate it to them in a way they can find meaningful. Rather than writing them off as a pack of apathetic ignoramuses, seek to understand your audience and adjust your approach to them accordingly. If you know any college-age people, spend some time just hanging out them - see how they communicate and see what messages resonate with them and why.

[crweber]

6. Sad

That's said. I'm a U of MN grad. These events seemed to get more attention years ago.