New to BSM this school year are convocations. The goal is to improve community within the student body, however, I believe that they are falling short of their intentions.

So far, we have had two convocations. Those were the Mark Vande Hei and My Very Own Bed presentations. These each took an hour out of the school day as students gathered in the Great Hall to listen to each presentation. However, I do not think these turned out as planned. Many students complained and did not enjoy these events. One of the many reasons is that the convocations do not seem to connect to the majority of students. During these convocations students could be much more productive than listening to something that only reaches a select group of students.

A solution to this issue would be that convocations are voluntary and figure out the timing so it doesn’t interrupt other classes. If there was an option for students to attend pertaining to their interests, it would benefit those students the most. This would be a great opportunity to have students check in with teachers in whose classes they are struggling.

Not only do students need this prep time so they can accomplish what they need to do, but teachers could also benefit greatly from a additional prep period where they can help students, grade assignments, and prepare for upcoming classes. Several teachers have stated they believe this might be best for students. However, times where students could be doing this are being taken away from us as we are required to listen to a presentation that many students can not connect with or are not interested in hearing from.

While yes some students benefit from and are very interested in these presentations, it doesn’t help everyone. This contradicts the original goal of these convocations of improving all students and BSM because it isn’t giving everyone the opportunity to thrive. All students’ needs would be much better met if they were able to do what they need to do rather than something they will write off and not gain anything from.

In the end, the idea of convocations and improving the student body could be very beneficial and it has lots of potential, however, it is falling short of its intended purpose.