by Jake Siewert
There is a tragedy occurring right in front of our eyes, and pleading ignorance is no longer an acceptable option. In the grand scale of worldly problems it hardly compares to genocide in Darfur or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it still is important. Well, to me at least.
The NBC show “Community” has been on hiatus since December. With the show on death’s door of cancellation, and only mid-way through its third season, I have taken it upon myself to put the community back in “Community” by involving my community at Whatcom Community College. Because if community college students won’t stand up to support a show about well… a community college, then who will?
The show follows a gang of friends in a study group at Greendale Community College, a school not unlike our own, in the fictional town of Greendale, Colorado. The plot involves seven students young and old, from different races, each with different personalities, as they take on adventures throughout the school year.
Though the show has been driven to hiatus because of falling ratings and the recently returning “30 Rock,” it has received much critical acclaim over its first two seasons. Tv.Com named it as #3 on its list of Top 100 Everything for 2011, and Emily Nussbaum of New York Magazine named it the “Best show of 2010.”
The show single-handedly revived the career of the legendary funny man Chevy Chase, who plays Pierce Hawthorne, the wise-ass old man who often finds himself as the butt of jokes.
It has also furthered the careers of other brilliant actors like Ken Jeong and Seattle-native Joel McHale, who play ex-Spanish teacher turned security guard Senor Chang, and ex-lawyer determined to get a real degree, Jeff Winger, respectively.
I was unsure about community college before I enrolled at Whatcom. I had only attended a four-year school, and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first arrived at campus. I was amazed by just my first day at Whatcom.
I came to take my math and English placement tests in mid-July, and before I had even spent an hour inside Laidlaw, I was determined to check into Facebook on my phone. I had to alert my social media faithful. People had to know what this place was like. “Jake Siewert is at—Greendale” the post read. People during the day had come up to me and said “Hi,” and I had no idea who they were. These strangers were just being friendly, genuine people. I clicked send on my phone and officially posted my check-in, and ever since then Whatcom has felt right.
This series showed me that community college is a fun place to be, where you’re going to make some friends that you might not have made anywhere else, and beyond that, you’ll be in a place that accepts you no matter what.
And Whatcom proved that rule, these first two quarters couldn’t have gone better, and unless the dean suddenly offers up an all-school paintball tournament for priority registration, I think I’ll be fine being as close to Greendale as the real world will allow.
So what I’m asking from you, Whatcom, is if you haven’t seen the show, then check out some episodes online, and if you have seen the show, tell your friends about it! Let everyone know that being a part of a community is the most rewarding thing you can do, and that this community is the one you want to be a part of.
