There are mixed feelings on campus about students using the e-mail system to voice their religious and personal beliefs.
With e-mails about sports information and reminders to turn in time sheets, some students have become frustrated with the sudden influx of mail.
Sophomore Vincent Sawyer doesn’t voice his opinions expecting responses. He has sent out a couple of e-mails campus wide to students talking about his religious views and personal struggles.
“There will be some that find it useful and others that don’t,” he said. “There is always that one person that could use some information someone just happened to send out.”
He knows, however, that with this also comes some negativity.
“Likewise, there will be others who think that information was a waste,” Sawyer said. “Things have, still, and will continue to offend people.”
Charley Worthey wants to spread the gospel in order to give people the opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He chooses to do this using the campus e-mail system and sends his YouTube videos out to the student body.
“I know some people disagree with me on this issue and they have the right to
do so,” he said. “I appreciate those who respect what I feel is my mission and even though they disagree with me, they continue to respect my views.”
But is student e-mail the right way to go about voicing beliefs?
Junior Dorvonda Payne doesn’t think so. She thinks when students send out e-mails, there’s really no way to avoid them.
“They know everyone has to read them, even if they just delete them,” she
said.
Payne thinks the best thing to do about these emails is to simply ignore them.
“I’m not going to read them,” she said. “I have watched some of the videos that have been sent out, but I don’t agree with them because they tell groups of people they’re wrong (for their beliefs.)”
Freshman Randi Marolf also thinks it’s best if she just deletes these messages.
“I’ve contemplated replying to some of the messagesbefore,” she said. “But
that’s what they want you to do. I just ignore them now.”
Most of the e-mails sent out to the student body by students are about religious topics, most of which seem to be polarizing to students.
“Anyone who has an opposing view to one of these e-mails or videos is going to be attacked for being wrong,” Payne says.
This is something Sawyer doesn’t agree with. “I think students should be able to have their voices be heard,” he said. “That information could be useful. Would it be worth it (if one of the emails) saved one person’s life and got a few people upset? I think so.”
While that may be the case, Marolf believes that these e-mails shouldn’t
even be sent out. “Maybe some opinions just shouldn’t be voiced. Especially this way,” she said. “Students do it for attention, or they try and relate to a specific group of students to tell them they ‘aren’t alone.’ In reality, the e-mails don’t work the way they want them to.”
But Worthey feels he is still affecting people in a positive way.
“I get positive responses all the time, even from people who don’t consider themselves Christians,” he said. “From what I can see, there are people who enjoy conversation about the most in depth philosophical ideas of our time. I plan to do this for the
rest of my life.”
Payne suggests Facebook groups and statuses may be the way to go if students
want their views to be seen.
“I don’t have to be your Facebook friend,” she said. “Who a person chooses to be friends with on Facebook is selective. The people who send out e-mails should just have Facebook groups or promote their YouTube channels in other ways.”
Students seem to agree that a Facebook page may be the better place to voice these opinions.
“That’s your page,” Marolf says. “You’re not sending it out to a specific person. When you send out e-mails, you know everyone is going to read them.”
However, Worthey thinks expressing his opinion is a blast and he loves it.
“I would love if someone else from school decided to make YouTube videos in response to mine,” he said. “I see Ottawa University as a safe zone; I do think it’s effective.”
For now, Sawyer says he’ll continue to speak his
mind.
“If someone is having a protest against a business and you happen to live next door, they still have the constitutional right to voice their opinion,” he said. “Though you might
not agree with them it is still publicly available. I’m just doing a service.”