The Mask- Will Geiger

The CNU homepage has a video in the bottom right corner. It's a ten minute clip of Paul Trible trying to sell the same narrative that I heard as a graduating senior in high school, that this campus has an energy that harnesses intellectual curiosity and that bright and shiny faces are the only things that exist at CNU. Even as a high schooler I was skeptical of this exaggerated characterization of the school. In my experience at school here, most people do not go out of their way to say hello. In fact, people that I've had full blown conversations have turned around and the next day struggle to make eye contact. The energy here at CNU is cold and constricting when one steps out of his own social group. The narrative acts as a mask, presenting to the observer a totally alternate reality than what one would truly experience. Readers, make no mistake, CNU is a fine institution and there are certainly sources of inspiration. I just wanted to draw some kind of connection to the social atmosphere that I've experienced. The things that make CNU "special" like the "private school experience for a public school price" and the assembly line-esque process of getting everyone out in four years are tangible things that the people with the money can appreciate. Parents like the money that they're saving and the new facilities that are going to be available to their kids. The state appropriations committee on education also buys the narrative, facilitating the entire procedure by giving the school $500 million to spark the whole new identity and helping to create the aforementioned energy.