The facts: The Poetic Portraits of a Revolution presented their project for attempting to inform the world about the revolutions in the Middle East. The University is currently choosing an institution-wide theme of global and/or civic awareness as a part of their accreditation standards.

Our opinion: Awareness of the news and events occurring in our society is pivotal to any audience, and students especially should take an interest because today’s events are shaping their future.

The Poetic Portraits of a Revolution’s performance of their discoveries in Egypt and Tunisia involved four young men showcasing the events of the revolutions they witnessed while in the countries last summer. The goal of this project was, and still is, to inform the world about the events and revolutions occurring in Egypt and Tunisia in such a way to capture the true experiences of the citizens in those countries. The awareness they strive for is a growing concern for our country, due to general lack of awareness in the U.S.

As college students, we are seen as oblivious and uninformed to the world around us; older generations claim we are enclosed in the protective bubble that is N.C. State University. In some cases, this might be true. But we must change this stigma, both to counteract that impression and for our own personal awareness.

It is important to be informed about the news going on around you, because it better educates you on serious matters facing our society, issues we will have to face after graduation. While in many cases these issues like the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, don’t appear to directly impact our lives, in some or another they do, or will.

Every event in history has triggered a future event. Current events will inevitably affect us in the long run. By remaining informed and staying aware of the issues occurring, one can be better enlightened, near or distance.

The importance of awareness can even be seen in the University’s educational qualifications. Currently, the University is preparing for accreditation by focusing on their Quality Enhancement Plan. According to the Handbook for Institutions Seeking Reaffirmation, “[This plan] describes a carefully designed course of action that addresses a well-defined and focused topic of issue [to enhance student learning].”

One of the requirements of the QEP is that institutions must select a topic to focus instruction and student activities on. Of the topics listed, the primary two under consideration for N.C. State are global and then civil awareness.

These themes are respectively described as “understand[ing] different world views [and a] global perspective,” and “apply[ing] classroom knowledge and skills to community issues,” each of these definitions focusing on one central theme of a general awareness.

Unlike your calculus professor teaching you real-world applications you’ll never actually use, this understanding of what’s going on around you and your society impacts your life by shaping you and society’s future. If the University believes these issues are so important they are willing to integrate them through your daily life at N.C. State, shouldn’t we at least listen to the themes and decide later whether we will use them? It’s better to have the tools early on than trying to acquire them later in life.