When in Doubt, Blame Nebraska (A Blogger's Response to a Student Publication Writer)

I am not a big fan of openly bashing someone else's work and plan on never doing this again but I simply can't help myself. I fully understand the arrogance I'm going to be funneling into this post because I have no authority to judge her. We're all entitled to our own opinions but it's generally important to actually have a leg to stand on. Recently a UNL student posted an opinion article about her utter disdain for UNL and Nebraska itself. And while I am no advocate for Nebraska and may agree with some of the general ideas, I can't help but disagree with the overall message of the article. Before I go any further, here is the article. Read through it and we'll discuss when you get back.... GO.

http://m.dailynebraskan.com/mobile/opinion/article_ca206a7a-2724-11e3-956c-0019bb30f31a.html

To recap, she hates Nebraska and UNL and would like to form a support group for students who didn't expect, don't understand, or can't handle Nebraska's crazy ways.

Lets start with just how purely misguided this poor girl is. Midwesterners, among ALL other regions, do have certain "norms" that they don't believe should be questioned- it's called culture. It sounds like she feels the same about her culture in Illinois. The fact that Illinois and Nebraska are in the same time zone is completely irrelevant. New York and Georgia are also in the same time zone... states with very different cultures. You'll be hard pressed to find a New Yorker running around Savannah expecting to find a hoagie because they're in the same time zone. Time zones are not to be confused with space time continuums or portals to other dimensions.

Also, I'm fairly certain that it is not Nebraska's fault that she didn't put more research into the major she chose. It's also fairly common knowledge that there are different cows used for meat and for milk- especially to people who study or plan to study animals. This leads me to believe the only thing she knew about her area of study was that she thinks that tigers and dolphins are cute. Which they are.

There are several paragraphs dedicated to how terrible and weird Nebraska is. And to restate, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I lived in Nebraska for 7 years and if it wasn't for the great people I encountered, I wouldn't have enjoyed it in the slightest. Nebraska certainly is no utopian society and whoever gave her this idea has obviously never spent time there either.

The true reason I have a hard time stomaching this article is the idea to have programs to support out-of-state students in trying to understand the culture they signed up for. I am an out-of-state student and I didn't have anyone to hold my hand and tell me "Now, Coloradans smoke weed and business attire includes jeans, do you think you can handle that?" I figured it out and adapted. That's what life is about- adapting. I firmly believe that once you lose the ability to adapt, you lose the ability to survive.

I understand the difficulty of not being able to have a face-to-face conversation with your parents about "what to do" but I've managed to get advice from my parents through several forms of technology and have successfully avoided my life going to shambles. I didn't need to see their facial expression when I said I wanted to declare a Beverage Management concentration (and yes I did already know that there are different types of grapes for eating and making wine). We live in a very connected world.

My school doesn't have any programs or support groups like this and I have yet to see anyone rocking back and forth in a corner asking "where am I?" They don't have a program to help you find rides home. It's called being friendly or proactive. This is college- it's your responsibility to get to where you need to be.

Being an out-of-state student is no special case. If you really feel like you are not equipped to handle the state and the culture that you signed up to immerse yourself in, that's certainly not the university's fault. It's not uncommon and it sounds like you should've stayed close to home.

The intention of this post is not to be cruel or lament about someone's personal views on a given culture. I've had some fun at this student's expense but I truly am sorry her college experience has not turned out the way she planned. I'm just asking that instead of posting an article (on the forum of a school you claim to hate), next time do your research, and be a little more introspective, know your limitations, and make an informed decision. There's absolutely no shame in realizing Illinois, or where ever, is better suited for you. But don't blame Nebraska for it.

And Runza is delicious so shut up.

~Remember: N is for knowledge!