Ashleigh Pickett: Devotion blinds UNC students

I’m sad to say that I was not entirely shocked by the opening line of the Feb. 5 editorial “Raising eyebrows” where college was said to lack “real world” experiences.

As I get closer to the finish line at UNC-Chapel Hill, I notice how the “Carolina Family” ideology is more than a way to connect students with the school. It’s a way to control the students. From the first day of orientation, we are groomed to be Tar Heel-loving, Blue Devil-hating bodies that pride the Carolina name above all else.

With this devotion beat into our heads, we willingly turn a blind eye to the corruptness that plagues the administrators. The majority of my peers have no idea about the “necessary” pay raises and never will. We are sheltered by the same institution that exploits us.

This trend can even be found in our national politics. Students don’t vote. We expect the system to take care of us in exchange for our cooperation, because this is the largest lesson taught by our universities.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Ashleigh Pickett: Devotion blinds UNC students."