Last Friday, the University kicked off its Second Century Campaign – SMU Unbridled. Where were you?

For those who attended Friday’s event, I personally thank you for coming. As a fellow student and alumnus, I want you to know that Friday’s event was probably the most important event I have ever attended at SMU.

It was more important than beating TCU in football (which will happen again on Saturday) and almost more important than my own graduation last May. I’m not going to talk about what makes this campaign so important to students. The University has setup a website that explains everything. There’s a webcast for anyone who missed the event. Go visit the site: http://www.smu.edu/SecondCentury.

But, I do want to address a growing problem at SMU: where is the “Unbridled Student Support?”

As students of a university community, we have certain responsibilities to SMU and ourselves. Let me explain.

You are responsible for the choices you make – going to class, eating healthy and sleeping. You are also responsible for checking your SMU e-mail. Somehow, our generation is losing the ability to realize when something great is happening at SMU.

For example, I am flabbergasted that students left the SMU vs. Texas State game after halftime. I mean, I am used to seeing students leave at halftime when we are losing, but we were winning! No excuses there.

While I will concede that an overload of events at SMU makes it difficult to navigate and decide what to attend, some events should be mandatory. I believe SMU students are smart enough to figure out what is important. I’m going to cut our first years some slack, but, where was everyone else this past Friday?

When the president of the university sends you an e-mail, you should read it. I mean, that’s common sense right? When my parents or professors send me e-mails, I read them immediately. So while I will entertain excuses for not fully understanding what Friday was about, I cannot excuse the fact that President Turner sent both an e-mail and an invitation to each student. How can you say, “I did not know?”

I know that we have the potential to be a supportive community that makes its presence known. For example, we had a great initial turnout for both the Rice and Texas State games. I know mustangs are committed students, but I have to question your priorities. You never miss an episode of Gossip Girl or The Office, but you don’t make it out to our pep rally?

Students – it is time to get excited and go wild!

Think about the campaign theme – what should that mean for you as a student? I think it captures what we want the spirit of SMU to be – wild and passionate, like a Mustang. You have the opportunity to witness literally an explosion of growth in campus experience, excellence in faculty and academics and the quality of your daily life.

The university knows this campaign cannot and will not succeed without the support of its students. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for other important events and e-mails. I also encourage you to take an active stance. Ask questions – how could the university better educate the students about this campaign? How about asking Student Senate for a town hall meeting with President Turner and members of the Campaign Leadership Council?

This campaign means more than just raising money. It’s about recognizing the talents that we have here and cultivating an environment that breeds success (pun intended).

We know that SMU students are known for their social aptitude. How would we make SMU a better institution if we were fully engaged and wild about our intellectual pursuits, school spirit, and the achievements of our fellow students in academia, athletics and the arts?

I’ve got Mustang Fever, how about you?

Daniel Liu is an engineering management graduate student. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].