Among Otterbein students, it is a collective experience to ignore the Otterbein News email that harasses inboxes campus-wide. However, students may recognize the face plastered across their emails about the newest speaker that came to campus, that being actor Sean Astin.
Astin is best known for a few different roles in cinema. The Otterbein email titled him “LOTR actor Sean Astin,” referencing his role as Samwise Gamgee in the "Lord of the Rings." Others may know him as Rudy Ruettiger, the Notre Dame defensive end who always tried a little bit too hard in practice in the film "Rudy." Or perhaps, he’s recognizable as Bob Newby, famous for being eaten alive by a Demogorgon despite very clearly being able to escape if he hadn’t stared at Winona Ryder romantically for zero apparent reason in "Stranger Things," or Mikey from "The Goonies," a film from 20 years before most students here were born.
As the latest addition to Otterbein’s cast of the Vernon L. Pack '50 Lecture, a program aimed at bringing reflection on ethical and social issues to Otterbein’s campus, Astin joins a long list of guest speakers most college students don’t recognize.
Titled, “Using Your Voice in Today’s Political Conversation,” Astin gave his speech in Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall on Monday, April 14 at 6 p.m. He believes that everyone who has the power to share their beliefs and stand up for what they see as right should absolutely do so.
While a great speech, most of Otterbein didn’t hear it. Despite a lot of advertising and emails making students dying to turn their notifications off, not many students were in attendance.
The fundamental issue with the Vernon L. Pack lectures is not the content itself or the lack of awareness, it is the lack of interest from the students of Otterbein. The messages of the lectures are important for students to hear, but it falls on deaf ears if the university can't draw engagement from its target audience.
A large portion of the audience at the speech were generations older than the student population of Otterbein. The most cheers he received came from recognition of Mikey and Samwise Gamgee, coincidentally two of the oldest of his major roles.
Sitting in the back of the auditorium, mostly visible were bald heads and gray hair. There were very few students in attendance for an event so widely broadcasted to the student population.
Even the vice president of Student Affairs at Otterbein, Bill Fox, attended the event wearing a jersey with the number 45 on it, the number Rudy Ruettiger wore in the film. Along with that, he had a flag from the film "Goonies," which received a roar of applause from the older crowd, once again, showing the age difference of who actually appreciates Astin.
The problem comes from the fact that most students at Otterbein either didn't know Astin or recognized him as the guy from "Stranger Things." Maybe they knew him from "Lord of the Rings," but for the most part, there isn’t a level of relatability among students with Astin.
For an event focused on bringing engagement and reflection specifically among the student population, finding more recognizable figures among the age range they look to please would go a long way in bolstering its effectiveness.
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