Michael Willson’s Sunday Read “No Spirit at Wesleyan,” (March 5, 2017) was particularly eloquent in addressing the lifeblood of a small campus community – school spirit. Long before men’s basketball won a national championship and the burgeoning Greer Environmental Sciences Center existed or we had President Miller’s vision of a strategic master plan to rally behind, school spirit manifested itself simply in its support of your fellow classmates. As a 2002 graduate and former editor-in-chief of this publication, I recall fondly when this community celebrated milestone achievements together and also cared for one another during times of tragedy. Be it in the academic arena or on the athletic fields and performing arts stages, VWC students should embrace the immense talents of its faculty and student body and not take for granted the luxury of being able to experience those talents on a deeply personal level.
What many transferring freshmen and sophomores who long for Main St. Blacksburg fail to understand is that “real college” often comes with the price of a nameless student existence that is more concerned about moving one through the undergraduate system than personally nurturing your future. What Virginia Wesleyan College may lack in a college town experience, it far makes up for in proximity to a metropolitan city that provides a plethora of internship opportunities and a post-graduation career pipeline – two things that will prove to be much more valuable in life than the memories of Saturday football tailgates.
The spirit of Virginia Wesleyan College runs deep, in the lifelong friendships it cultivates, the learning it inspires and the dedication it takes to grow a community that fosters the next generation of leaders. Understandably, the college won’t be the right fit for everyone, but to those who embrace it for what it is, it will realize it offers a great deal more than it lacks.
Michael Touhill ‘02