Did you know that I have the approximate athletic ability of a tree stump? If you’ve read pretty much any of my editorials, you do. I tend to rant about that a lot.
There has been a lot of talk about the Eastern Michigan University football program in the Echo office, most of which is between managing editor Al Willman and sports editor Eugene Evans. It tends to waft into my ear canal, slither into a slot in my overworked brain-computer and come out with a big red stamp reading “DOES NOT COMPUTE.” I have opinions on the football situation, but they are pretty ill-conceived and involve replacing all of the football players with cats, so I’m not going to write about it here. But you know seems to get overlooked when talking about EMU?
Art. Music, writing, painting, dance, design, all the stuff that makes life pretty. Let’s talk about art.
Our campus is conveniently close to Ann Arbor, which may as well be the Michigan capital of the arts. Better yet, Ypsilanti itself is becoming a little hub of artistic endeavors, with its art shows at EMU, the Ugly Mug and Bona Sera. Just look at some of the buildings in the area – the architecture enough is a sign of Ypsi’s aesthetic prowess. Even in the more run-down buildings, you can find beauty.
Over the weekend, I had the good fortune of attending Bandorama, a celebration of EMU’s many ensembles, including the marching band. One of the arguments no one brought up in last issue’s now-infamous “Should it stay or should it go?” dueling columns is that the marching band’s existence basically rides on the existence of a football team. Otherwise, where would they play? Can we shove them all into one of the Student Center ballrooms or Pease? Absolutely not – there’s not enough room. It is a marching band after all, not an “awkward standing band.”
But alas, no one thinks of the lowly musicians on campus. We don’t get no respect.
As a music major, I witness firsthand the amount of dedication student musicians put into their craft. Go to the Alexander Music Building at 11 at night and you’ll hear at least a few practice rooms abuzz with practicing performance majors. Same goes for art students – my best friend is an art major and take it from me, you do not want to know what they go through.
I’m not saying that athletes don’t work as hard as those in the arts – they just work with a different approach. I can appreciate sports for what they are and for what people put into it because frankly,
I couldn’t do it myself. I was in volleyball once, the key word here being “once.” I learned my strengths and weaknesses in life pretty quickly.
So no, I don’t want to see focus taken away from sports at EMU. For some people, that’s their niche, and it’s a good niche to have. But not everyone has that niche. Me, I’d like to see more attention directed toward those students who were too scrawny or shy as kids to get make it onto the team, the ones who found true love in a paintbrush, a pen, a clarinet or a script. All skills are valuable, and while we may not be the brawn behind society, but we’re the ones who create beauty in it.
So come on, EMU. Let’s talk about art.
Follow Jess J. Salisbury on Twitter @jessjsalisbury
