By Ashalyn Zirngible
Fall 2023
Justin Smith Morrill, a representative, sponsored the land grant legislation, along with Jonathan Baldwin Turner. The first land grant system would make higher education more accessible for the average (white) American. In 1862, during the Civil War, this legislation was passed. (NASULGC 23)
A land grant University is defined as “an institution that has been designated by its state legislature or congress to receive the benefits of the Morrill acts of 1862 and 1890.” This means that a university is given federal land to foster a learning environment with “practical education that has direct relevance to daily lives,” typically referring to agricultural elements. Oklahoma State University is a Land Grant University.
I originally chose to apply to Oklahoma State because of my, now, ex-boyfriend, along with his family. His whole family attended here and went on and on about how amazing their experiences and education were. As someone who is a first-generation college student, this was some of the only guidance I had received. My dad was a drug dealer, my mom was an alcoholic, and I was the product of teen pregnancy. This was not the easiest thing. Although both of my parents are past this hardship and have been for 12 years, and 3 years, it has definitely shaped me. My parents divorced when I was in middle school, so I didn’t have both around all the time. I got two Christmases, trips with my mom and a separate one with my dad, and a lot of ‘good” stories. Apparently, humor isn’t the best way to deal with thirteen years of trauma. My mom sent me to therapy and trucked me in the process. I now believe this was done in good intention, but it was like telling a child they were going to the candy-store and dropping them off at the dentist. In fact, it was exactly like that. Thirteen year old Ashalyn thought she was going shopping. I hated therapy, but not for the improvement of communication skills, learning to resolve conflict ,or the increased self-awareness, but for the broken trust between my mother and I. John Bowlby’s, a psychologist, psychoanalyst, and psychiatrist, study on Attachment theory contends that children need a secure base and safe haven. Mine felt stripped away from me causing all these negative neurons to be attached to therapy. I have great and supportive parents, that have made a comfortable life for me. I’ve never had to worry about being hungry, or not being able to do a sport, and I traveled at least once a year. While my parents were successful without obtaining a college degree, I knew college was the right pathway for me- They also wanted me to have the opportunity they never had.
I applied with a mediocre application, with mediocre grades, mediocre test scores, mediocre clubs/awards/sports, and a mediocre essay about Billy Joel’s song “Vienna”- I guess it was very attention-grabbing because I got my acceptance letter a week later. I bled America’s brightest orange… until my University of Alabama acceptance box came in. All I could think about was the football games, Elephant Stomp, and Greek life. Saban was my saving grace. This yelling “roll tide” every ten minutes phase lasted about a month.
My dad and I went on a month-long trip to Lake Tahoe, California for snowboarding. I started missing my life in Dallas by the second week. I came to the realization that I couldn’t just drive from Tuscaloosa to Dallas for a weekend if I wanted to. The Dallas to Stillwater trip was long enough. I ultimately chose to attend OSU for the location.
I started finding roommates and could not wait for my adventures in Stilly. I found 3 other girls, and we were getting along well. We planned to be in the suite style, a four bedroom two bathroom, dorm. Then the housing selections came out and only the traditional, two beds in one room and a communal bathroom was left. I had a breakdown because it didn’t go to plan, I got split from my chosen roommates and did not know what the next step was. After about two hours, I called my best friend, who was also coming to OSU, and she was in the same situation. We decided to room together.
After several four-hour trips to campus, I was finally moved in. I was alone my first night and started to worry if college was for me. I called the people who care most about me, and they all told me the same thing, that it’s normal, and not going to be easy, but “it waits for me”. This reminded me of the song I wrote my college entrance essay about “When will you realize, Vienna waits for you”. This was a full circle moment that reassured me. The next day I made a group of friends who have been by my side since.
I started class the following Monday and fell in love with a random humanities class with a long name that I was required to get credit for. That class was “Development of Relationships and Marriage.” I discovered that I was passionate about how relationships worked and how to help people in them- a marriage therapist to be more specific. Three days later I changed my major from Business Marketing to Psychology. This was the moment college started feeling less like school, and more like working to build my future.
OSU’s land grant mission to “raise successive generations of servant leaders” is the reason why I can pursue what I’m passionate about. The Land Grant University’s generosity and goal to make higher education accessible is the reason why many marriages are saved by Psychology majors, like me, businesses grow through Spears, lives are saved through the nursing school, and Oklahoma State’s students, alumni, and fans, can enjoy Saturdays in Boone-Pickens. But most importantly, as OSU’s, first female, President, Dr. Kayse Shrum says in the mission statement “Change the world.” (Shrum, “We are Land-Grant” 12:23-12:30)
Works Cited
The Land-Grant Tradition. National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, 2005.
“We Are Land-Grant: Uncommon Preeminence for the Common Good.” YouTube, uploaded by Oklahoma State University, 12 Oct. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKUa785coQk.
archiveoklahoma.com 