Does Beloit Have a Voice?

By PALASH MAMTANEY

Beloit College apparently loves to preach about dialogue, justice, and empowerment, but does any of it actually mean anything? When faculty face unstable contracts, student workers are overworked and underpaid, the question is, who really holds the power here? Is Beloit a place where voices shape the institution or just another campus where decisions are handed down from above while the rest of us are expected to nod along? If Beloit truly believes in its own values, it’s time to prove it. Otherwise, “having a voice” is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Beloit isn’t a campus of activists. It’s a campus of bystanders.

Out of 1,000 students, how many actually do anything? Honestly, maybe 10%, and even that’s generous. The rest? They’ll complain about dining hall wages, about how their work-study job barely covers a grocery run, about how clubs are dead and BSG is useless. But the moment someone says, “Hey, maybe we should actually organize?” the energy shifts. Suddenly, everyone’s “too busy.” Suddenly, it’s not their problem.

And that’s exactly why Beloit stays the same. No protests. No demands. No pressure. Just vibes.

Beloit students have perfected the ancient art of passive resistance, but not against the administration, oh no! Against ANY effort to actually fix things. Clubs are barely functioning because no one wants to lead them. BSG elections are basically a battle of “who’s willing to do paperwork” instead of an actual democratic process. Most students don’t even know what BSG does, and honestly? Neither does BSG.

I’m pretty sure that in today’s economy and how the campus is functioning, the administration must love their jobs, because what’s there to stress about? No matter what decisions they make, no matter how many vague emails they send about “financial restructuring” or “campus efficiency,” no one is going to fight back. Why? Because Beloit students do not care enough to act.

Unionizing? Hilarious. The concept of a student workers’ union should be a no-brainer. Beloit runs on cheap student labor. The dining hall, the library, Powerhouse, none of it functions without students doing the work. And yet, student workers are paid the absolute legal minimum, often without proper support, security, or even clarity on what rights they actually have.

But what happens when someone suggests unionizing? Panic. Excuses. Fear. “What if the administration shuts it down?” “What if we lose our jobs?” “What if it doesn’t work?”

Cool. Great mindset. Let’s just never stand up for ourselves then. Let’s just accept whatever scraps we’re given and call it a day. Because, of course, the best way to ensure nothing ever changes is to never even try.

The best part is that the administration knows this. They don’t have to intimidate students into silence. They don’t have to crack down on union talks or protests, because those things don’t happen in the first place. They could raise tuition, cut wages, and start charging for Wi-Fi, and the response would be what? A few angry Yik Yaks? A mildly annoyed Reddit thread? Maybe, just maybe a strongly worded email?

Beloit students won’t protest. They won’t push back. They’ll just grumble to their friends, sigh dramatically, and then keep working under the same conditions anyway.

The administration isn’t some cartoon villain plotting against students. They don’t need to be. Why spend energy suppressing a student labor movement when there isn’t one? Why fear a student strike when no one has the guts to walk out? They know that students will vent and rant, but ultimately, they’ll comply. The system remains intact because no one is willing to break it.

I get it. Change is exhausting. It’s easier to roll your eyes and accept things as they are. But I want you to imagine, just for a second, what would happen if students actually did something, if Beloit workers unionized, if students demanded transparency, if BSG actually represented the student body.

Other schools have done it. Student workers at Kenyon College fought for a union and won. Grinnell students did the same and made history. Beloit isn’t different. The only difference is that no one here has tried hard enough yet.

The administration isn’t invincible. It operates under the assumption that students will stay silent. Break that assumption, and suddenly, everything shifts.

So, does Beloit have a voice? That’s up to you. Because the moment you decide to use it, things will change. And for the first time in a long time, the administration might actually have to listen. I want you to challenge the status quo. I want you to break the lines of “being a p*ssy”. I want you to get out of your bed, walk out of your dorm room, find some friends, and raise the voice that god gave you. 

Because as long as silence is the default, Beloit will stay exactly as it is. Mute.

Featured Image: Beloit College