As frigid temperatures overwhelm hundreds of thousands of Broome County residents this week, I find myself looking to the great lyricist Kanye West for a few important words of wisdom:
“Everybody says hey, you're not working, you're not making any money; But I'm smart, I'm so smart, and I'm in school, and these guys are out here making money all these ways, and I'm spended mine to be smart. You know why? Because when I die, buddy, you know what's going to keep me warm?
“That's right — those degrees.”
Sunday afternoon, the heat will be on — literally and proverbially — at Binghamton University's Events Center for the school's first Fall Commencement ceremony, as hundreds of students will take their final steps as undergraduates and, yielding “those degrees,” their tentative first steps into the so-called “real world.”
(Full disclosure: That's not completely true — finals week actually follows graduation this semester. Thanks, Lois!)
Many of us have jobs lined up for post-graduation, while others will move on to even higher education at a graduate school, be it here in Vestal or elsewhere. The rest of us, well ... we're taking it one day at a time.
But regardless of one's future plans, losing the familiar warmth of a class schedule, friendly classmates and “summer vacation” (damn you, soon-to-be teachers!) is a big adjustment — one that even the most groomed adolescence can hardly prepare you for.
And so, as we come together this weekend for the culmination of our however-many years at the school, we can happily reflect back on our unique journeys to the ceremony.
No two stories are alike. But instead of spending this space telling a tale or two of a fellow prospective graduate (still no guarantees here: I still have to pass British Literature II — so much for senioritis), I thought I'd share a persistent piece of advice we're almost all getting at Binghamton University, one that doesn't elude such “warm” feelings:
“Get out of Binghamton.”
The speakers at this weekend's ceremony, including keynote speaker Soledad O'Brien, won't use those words. And this columnist, who has spent the last few months embracing local traditions (and pouring over Percy Bysshe Shelley), does not echo those sentiments.
But as BU's year-to-year retention rate persists above 90 percent, the Broome County retention rate for its graduates is sinking. More and more grads are migrating elsewhere, with most citing a lack of opportunities in the area.
Sure, there are some retention efforts: CIC2020, or Catalysts for Intellectual Capital 2020, is a student-run organization dedicated to keeping graduates in the Southern Tier, while Southern Tier Young Professionals (STYP) is a growing group with good intentions.
Additionally, the new Downtown Center is a good first step to bringing together the University to the City of Binghamton, a place that many upperclassmen — and potential future residents — call home.
But any retention efforts will be in vain as long as those currently living in the Southern Tier continue to yearn for greener pastures. Perhaps graduates would feel some optimism about the area if long-term residents took steps to feel that way themselves.
Strub is a senior at Binghamton University (at least this week) and a part-time copy editor at the Press & Sun-Bulletin. His column appears Thursdays.
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