For those getting ready to graduate, finding a job may seem like a daunting task.

Nowadays a degree alone doesn’t cut it. Experience, networking and aggressiveness are crucial if you want to actually put your degree to use.

College is supposed to be a place where you get that experience, but what happens when your school acts like it doesn’t care?

You have to have experience in order to have a job and nobody will give you that experience unless you have experience in the first place. How fair is that?

How can a university expect to grow and bring in students when it is unwilling to put money where it’s most beneficial?

Anyone been in Reynolds Hall lately? The 70s called and they want their stuff back.

To be fair, several programs on campus are thriving. The nursing program has state of the art equipment and the chance to work in the Wilcoxon Health Center to reinforce what’s taught.

State of the art cadaver labs, an integrated camera system that provides high-definition recordings,  custom-made student tables for experimentation and laptop computers for each student stations. It’s cool stuff.

A police academy is offered for criminal justice majors, or any student for that matter wanting to go into law enforcement.

 Yet, other programs that provide hands-on career training have to fight tooth and nail just to get working equipment.

We understand that every program on campus could use more money. What we don’t understand is how failing to fund a program properly is justified.

Recently, students who were interested in broadcast thought they were getting an opportunity to put their classroom to work.

After lots of hard work and support, they were finally given the chance to write, produce and air a student-run show. According to one student, it takes more people than it should to produce the show, simply because of the equipment. Due to its ‘age,’ so to speak, it constantly breaks down, inhibiting the learning process.

You can’t say that it’s impossible to provide students with what they need because Pittsburg State University does it as well as the University of Missouri and Missouri State University.

Why is it so crazy for students to assume that they will learn at a place where they pay to learn?

Professors try to teach as best they can with what they have. Sometimes that just isn’t enough.

According to Mark Twain, insanity is doing the same thing you’ve always done and expecting different results. We want Southern to grow and succeed. We want students to leave with the confidence and skills needed to put their money to good use.

Our football team has started its season 3-0 in MIAA play for the first time since 1996.

The athletes, coaches and staff got there because they had not only the will to succeed, but also the means. Now, take away their equipment, qualified trainers and expect the same exact results. Sounds a little insane, right?

We are proud of every single sport here on campus, but its time for academics to receive just as much attention.

Money needs to be spent where it counts. Not potential students, not alumni, but for the benefit of people who are paying so they can graduate with the confidence that the four years they spent working their behinds off was all worth it.

We know things won’t change overnight. Baby steps are all we are asking for.