My mom is a proud graduate of Eastern Illinois University’s Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle Level Education. As a second and third grade teacher in Catholic schools for nearly 30 years, there was no question that my sister and I would be avid readers growing up.

We read every Dr. Seuss, Berenstain Bears, and Amelia Bedelia book ever published, and religiously watched Reading Rainbow on PBS. One of my favorites was Chicken Little. 

I just loved picturing Chicken Little and her brood of pedantic and frantic forest creatures running around convincing all their friends that the sky was indeed falling. As we all know, the sky was not falling, poor Chicken Little had simply been hit on the head by an acorn.  In the most typical version of the story, the tale ends with Chicken Little and her friends being eaten in Foxy Loxy’s den.

Five years ago, I chose Eastern largely due to the collegial, hospitable, and genuine faculty and staff that I met during my visits here. The folks in Admissions, Housing and Dining Services, the Honors College, the History Department, and the College of Education sold me on EIU, and soon I realized that EIU was the place for me. For four years, EIU became my home. The faculty, staff, and students at EIU made the experience live up to my expectations, and I think made me the person that I am today (for better or for worse).

It is no secret that these are trying times for higher education of all types across the country. While we certainly have our fair share of problems in public higher education, our colleagues in private schools, trade schools, community colleges, and even proprietary institutions are not without their own set of problems and issues. I am a pretty active individual on campus. I usually agree to joining activities with the hope of bettering the institution as my rationale.

Unfortunately, I do not think that I have been to a meeting in the last five years that did not result in conversation. Issues of enrollment, employee cuts, budget shortfalls, and a host of other key issues have certainly been the conversation of the day around here in every committee, no matter that committee’s charge.

Enrollment needs to increase, staffing (both academic and non-academic) need to be addressed, and the budget certainly needs to be considered. I think that it is important for us as a university community to realize that, in fact, EIU’s sky is not falling. 

Do we have problems? Do we face an uncertain future in terms of state funding? Do we have a declining state population that is leading to fewer high school graduates? But, do we also have an amazing faculty, staff, and student body committed to EIU’s future? Do we have more strength than we have weaknesses? Yes, we do. It is time to stop perpetuating conversations about our problems.

If all the energy that goes into discussing our problems was used to improve our campus, we would be able to solve our issues in a more timely fashion.  Furthermore, we need to celebrate all the good that we do across the board.  We need to celebrate the successes that are occurring every day in the classrooms, on the field, in the residence halls, in the laboratory, in the library, in the physical plan, etc. etc.

Our fight song states, “Though the odds be great or small, we’ll still be cheering you.”  The odds might be great, but it is time to start cheering again. This is Eastern Illinois University, we’ve been here for 120 years, and we need to do all that we can to ensure that we are here for 120 more.

To do that, everyone should unite instead of being divisive, territorial, and frantic. I say this not to be naïve, or overly Pollyanna, but instead to offer a reflection on how I see EIU’s sky. The sky is not falling, we are not a brood of Chicken Littles, so let’s make sure that we don’t get eaten in Foxy Loxy’s den.

Zach Samples is a 2014 graduate of EIU, and a first year graduate student in the College Student Affairs program, and can be reached at [email protected].