The personal level of active involvement varies from Simpson student to Simpson student, but ultimately can be set by no one else besides him/herself. Campus Day affords an adequate litmus test to determine how absorbed one is in not only college affairs, but the concerns of the Indianola community as well.

No one should feel obligated or pressured into participating in the completely voluntary Campus Day. It provides the opportunity for those who want to make a difference to do so, concurrently offering a direly needed break for others who need to part from the rigors of classes and other stresses; to “shake loose the study coil,” if you will.

This year Campus Day falls handily in the slot in which it seems professors have chosen to concentrate the most intensive work of the semester with homework hours stacking high enough to require scientific notation just to tally total time logged in the library. It’s also the first time it’s been announced prior to the morning of, an excellent change giving students the chance to plan ahead for it instead of being caught unawares. Budgeting a day off can be tricky business for students and professors alike, and left unannounced, can be a scheduling wrench in a meticulous syllabus.

A day off like this allows more than just drunken tomfoolery.

One can spend the day, unfettered by classes, devoting time to catching up on class work by finishing that paper on sea monkey mating rituals or finally getting around to reading that book about the decline of buffalo chips as a primary fuel source (Chada, P. Buffauel: Dung in the Den. Random House, 1998). If a student is completely caught up in all their classes (ha!) they can spend the day visiting friends or family who aren’t around during the weekends, or just slip into a vegetative state and recharge the body’s batteries.

A large part of the decision to volunteer stems from calculating how much one owes to the community he/she will be spending their free time beautifying. Obligation is relative, and participation should weigh if the reward (not just material, but personal feeling of satisfaction, Good Samaritanism, etc.) is worth the input.

In short, Campus Day is a lot like church on Sunday-you can sleep in or do your good deed. I leave it to you, the reader and student. Choose wisely.