In today’s world, it’s the heroes who make the headlines. The athletes, the leaders, the trailblazers. It’s easy to let one person take the spotlight for a team’s success, a new invention, or a world-changing compromise. However, the success of a group or project is very rarely on the shoulders of one person. Like the proverb says, it takes a village.
As a campus community, it’s important that we take the time to appreciate the contributions made by the people behind the scenes.
The Student Government Association did a nice job of highlighting those contributions in this paper by thanking the custodial staff, without whom this university couldn’t operate. Students walking through campus buildings may look right through the janitor emptying the trash cans, but the custodial staff’s absence would be surely missed if we were to lose their service. They diligently and tirelessly keep our campus clean and inviting.
When attending a football game, the first things that comes to mind are the cheerleaders, football players, Stang Gang, or tailgating. Whether we win or lose, it’s the quarterback and the coach who get the fame.
However, this is just another instance where we can easily lose sight of all the moving parts that make a football game the exciting event that it is. The marching band works just as hard as football players – all for that eight minute performance. When’s the last time someone asked the band ‘How do you think you guys’ played?’
Featured on page seven, Leroy McIlhaney is another great example of one of those little parts that help make this event so big. Every game he gets the football players pumped up. He is MSU’s number one fan, and most of the people who know him will agree with that. We hope that featuring him in this paper is a step towards giving him the recognition he deserves.
The next time you attend a football game, don’t just watch the game, but pay attention to the halftime show as well and watch Leroy interact with the players. Be appreciative that we have people that work so hard to make the Saturday Night Lights experience all that it is for us.
It doesn’t just stop there – when you attend a movie screening or a UPB party, there were people who set up and cleaned up after each and every event. These people carefully set up each chair, placing them in perfect lines, setting up the stage and making sure all the sound and light equipment is ready.
This behind the scenes work is rarely acknowledged, so next time, show up early and thank the people getting the event ready. Or even better, volunteer to help.
Thank the custodians for their hard work. They aren’t our parents, yet they clean up after us day after day. A thank you goes a long way.
As a newspaper staff, this also hits close to home. This paper is not just the names in the staff box. Each story, photo and design has had countless pairs of eyes look at it by the time it is published, and their names don’t end up as a byline. The unsung heroes of the newsroom.
So here is a thank you to all the ‘little’ people on campus. Who, in reality, play the biggest roles in our college experience, even when we don’t even realize it.
