We’ve heard it all.
We’ve been ranked by the Princeton review as being more difficult than some Ivy Leagues (see Josiah Young’s Facebook page). We’ve got some of the best professors. We’re one of a handful of colleges that can claim to care about our Western and American heritages.
All are great things. But admissions ought not to neglect one of Hillsdale College’s greatest advantages: we’re located near “the Most Popular Fair on Earth.” The ferris wheel and combine demolition derby should grace the cover of admission flyers.
In all seriousness, Hillsdale College should follow the lead of local schools like the Hillsdale Academy and take the Monday during fair week off.
The fair only comes once a year, after all. For that time, the normally-deserted fairgrounds are all lights, activity, fried food, and people. It’s a transitory magic, so why shouldn’t we take a little time away from the books and take the time to feel the skin of a prize-winning squash or to watch seven wriggling piglets burrow into a mountain of straw? Or, let’s be real. Why shouldn’t we take a break to fill up on fried butter and corn dogs while walking around in the glow of carnival rides?
It would allow professors and staff to take their kids to the fair. Not that we’ve heard complaints, but it must be hard to invest wholeheartedly in a an evening at the fair knowing full well you have a freshman class hungry for Western Heritage in the morning. And if faculty and staff don’t have the day off, then their kids can’t attend during the day on Monday with both parents.
Second, if the college took an extra day off, it would free up students to go as well. Our current random “reading days” seem to have no chronological significance relating to local events. So why not have one of these breaks during fair week? Taking the day off would make up for the fact that we don’t get Labor Day off. And unlike Labor Day, a day rooted in socialism and all things unclean, Fair Day would pay homage to small towns, deep fryers, and the American dream.
Additionally, it could improve relations between the college and the city. So often, students are already perceived to be disconnected from the community surrounding the campus. “The Most Popular Fair on Earth” means a lot to area residents; students’ taking the time to spend a day at an event so central to the community provides a valuable chance to pop “the Hillsdale bubble.”
And this year, homecoming unfortunately overlaps with fair week. Students given the choice between homecoming events and the fair may choose the lights over the fried food. Celebrating Fair Day would give students a chance to see the sights before the fair competes with homecoming for schedule real estate.
And who doesn’t enjoy fried butter?