(U-WIRE) BLACKSBURG, Va.—If you missed the last season of "The O.C.," don't worry, just run out and buy the DVD. In fact, this idea of television shows being put onto DVDs isn't all that uncommon or entirely specific to "The O.C." Shows such as "Laguna Beach," "Newlyweds" and "Lost" are all available on DVD so that students can catch up on the previous season.
The current trend among college students involves a lot of these shows, that is, avoiding reality to become encompassed in them. Walk around a college campus and you may not be surprised to hear that everything is going well between Marissa and Ryan, Trey left Orange County and Kirsten still hasn't decided to come back from rehab. Why are so many college kids centering their lives on television? That answer may be more complex than you think.
While some viewers only use television programs as an escape from reality, others make them their own reality, or at least attempt to become what they see on television. Some students are so entranced by television that they put off other important aspects of their lives. No one is arguing that television should be done away with in general. However, students should reconsider why they came to college. More than likely, it wasn't to group together in West Ambler-Johnston Hall and watch the latest episode of the "Real World."
The reality of it all is that more college students talk about television programs than news, classes or political concerns that have the potential to affect people in our very own age bracket. Students put off studying and homework for the latest episode of their favorite show.
Academic work isn't the only thing that suffers because of television. Student organizations frequently meet in the evenings, a majority of which are Sundays, to discuss important news, social events and various other topics. These days, even extracurricular activities are being put on the back burner so that "Grey's Anatomy" or "Desperate Housewives" can be viewed.
Not only are students neglecting their academic and extracurricular work, but some are taking television to an even bigger extreme. Visit a friend's apartment or dorm room and you may find that some college students have more than one television for a variety of purposes. Some kids have two televisions next to one another so that their favorite television show and "Monday Night Football" can be watched at the same time. Others simply want to watch something that is on television, be it primetime TV or a sporting event, and play video games simultaneously.
This use of television as more than an escape from the reality of a fast-paced, stressful lifestyle of a college student has to cease. Everyone enjoys channel surfing for the latest big thing but this shouldn't be done at the expense of real life.
Students have to remember that they are in school to get an education, not to find out who Julie is going to end up with now that her husband on "The O.C." is dead. Enjoy your time at college, but don't lose sight of the fact that classes are still your number one priority. Consider the fact that this isn't "Laguna Beach," it is college. Accomplish what you came here to do, then turn on the tube.
This editorial was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 15, 2005.