Anonymous
The Overinvolved Gustie has died and in the wake of its funeral procession stands a burnt out Organization President with too many hooz-its and whats-itz and not enough attendees to take them.
Students are not attending things like they used to. Replete with events, Advising Day brought a lot of promise for connection and joy, yet many organization leaders and event-puter-oners faced poor turnout. From personal observations: the majors/minors fair had only a handful of curious, bright-eyed stragglers weaving between tables; the Chapel was relatively bare despite offering a respite and sanctuary in the form of DIY essential oils, journaling, and warm drinks; and the Climate Teach-In felt ominously barren despite past-years’ attendance making it difficult to even navigate around without bumping shoulders.
These observations are not limited to Advising Day. As President of my organization and friend to other leadership members of other non-disclosed organizations, I’ve seen and heard a dramatic decrease in interest and attendance. This begs the question: has the Overinvolved Gustie died? And maybe more importantly, who killed her and why?
I come to writing this Letter to the Editor from a place of frustration. All of the events that my organization puts on begin with a desire to bring joy, relief, or light into a world that is feeling overwhelming, scary, and disheartening. We spend weeks planning our events, buying and organizing our supplies, and marketing. And yet, in the past year or so, it seems that on event day, at the very hour, we are left lonely. Sometimes, my own team-members don’t even show up (but that’s more the subject of a voice-memo rant rather than a Letter to the Editor).
So I’m sending out my beacon. Why? Where has everyone gone? We send out student-L emails, we hang up posters, we post on social media, we beg our friends. My only source of comfort is that my organization doesn’t appear to be alone in this fate.
Now, reflectively, I know that I don’t show up to many random events I get emails for. Some may pique my interest but they are at odd times that don’t work with my perfectly curated and manicured G-cal. Am I part of the problem? I should say certainly not and here’s why:
I show up to the things I have committed to. I am involved in organizations that I am not on leadership for and I go to the events they plan. I have declared my major and I go to the events that my major’s academic assistants and organizations plan. I have friends who are on leadership for organizations that I am not a part of and I show up to their events regardless, because I love and support my friends.
I have two theories, one more plausible than the other. I’ll start with my more fantastical one: the Overinvolved Gustie is not dead, but rather has ascended to her final form. We are all on leadership. There is no longer division between leader and member. We are all planning and executing events, thus there is no longer anyone to attend. It’s a ridiculous theory, but I’m grasping at straws.
More realistically, however, I think the Overinvolved Gustie is dead and it’s not because we are an apathetic or lazy generation. It’s because we are burnt out.
We wake up, check our phones, and the weight of the world comes crashing down, not on our shoulders, but, lately, on our heads like an anvil in a Loony Toons episode. We go to class, we get assigned papers and projects and exams (meanwhile, the world outside is still suffering and we’re acutely aware of it). We have meetings and interviews and emails. We have friendship drama and relationship drama and Greek life drama. You didn’t get the housing you wanted. The website crashed while registering for classes. OH! And at 5:30 there’s a rootbeer float event all the way across campus from my room? Yeah right.
We are burnt out. I am burnt out. The Overinvolved Gustie is dead…so how do we reincarnate her into something that is not the product of toxic productivity and hustle culture, but something positive, balanced, and good for our wellbeing?
Show up. Please, show up. I know, I know. I just acknowledged why it feels impossible to attend things right now. But that’s why we need to. We need community now more than ever. We need to know that we care about each other.
Bring a friend. Make a new friend. Show up and don’t even participate. Show up and do every single thing you possibly can and more. Be goofy, be quiet. Turn your phone all the way off. Support your friend who put so much work into planning. Support your classmate who you barely even know. Be the attendee you hope to have at your event in the future. And maybe, along the way, you’ll find a hint of joy, whimsy, and light in your day that you just so desperately needed.
This is my plea, written in a newspaper that 176 of the 198 people voting in a YikYak poll said they don’t even read: show up. The only way we’re going to move forward as organizations, as a campus community, as Minnesota, as a country, and as global citizens, is if we learn to help our neighbors and help ourselves out of the darkness.