Melanie Boysen | Staff Writer

Everyone hates getting those emails and announcements that state “give us your feedback,” whether it is class evaluations or psychology studies. Yes, they can be annoying and it turns people off from actually participating. But here’s the thing, they actually matter and people are in fact interested in what you have to say.

As I was scanning some social media sites, I came upon a post including a photo of the recent Students Against a Violent Environment (SAVE) survey poster that was on a door here on campus, with the caption saying something along the lines of, “people obviously not hearing about the 1st Amendment.” The survey is all about the 1st Amendment; the problem is getting people to actually sit down and give their feedback about the topic of the survey. It is actually much more difficult than one might think to get people to respond, otherwise there would not be posters advertising it.

What really puzzles me about this is when a person claims that no one is listening to what they have to say. Automatically I think to myself, how many times have they deleted a survey or feedback questionnaire without bothering to look through it? Opportunities may have been missed and they probably didn’t even realize it. People were willing to hear what you had to say hence why you were sent those emails. For example, the data from those class evaluations, actually help professors change their courses and can be a deciding factor in policies.

As a senior psychology major, it is frustrating to see people sign up for studies or send out emails for feedback to further study a certain topic or problem that could in effect make a difference on society. As mentioned previously, everyone has received an email recently about the SAVE survey. I opened my email, took the survey, and gave them information to help them possibly change policies on campus. It took less than fifteen minutes during my lunch hour; I was talking to a friend when I saw her open the email, skim it, and proceed to delete it.

I understand that it may not be relevant to you, but even saying you have no idea is better than ignoring it. Your answers have an impact on research no matter how much you deny it. All I’m asking is that you think before you delete the next class survey or psychology participation study. You have a voice and the right to your own opinion, protected by the 1st Amendment, that we so claim to be proud of; use it.

Graphic by Aaron Burns