Do HutchCC Students Attend the Dillon Lecture Series?

By Lizzie Kipp
Campus Editor
Email: thehutchinsoncollegian@gmail.com

For decades, the Dillon Lecture Series has provided numerous speakers with interesting insights. Twice per semester, students, faculty and Hutchinson residents gather at the Sports Arena to listen to various speakers from around the country talk about different topics – sports, movies, artificial intelligence and more.

Theoretically, there’s something for everyone at the DLS.

However, those who have ever attended a lecture will notice that the audience is mostly elementary school students and older folks, despite the fact that Hutchinson Community College students get in free with student ID.

Which raises the questions, do HutchCC students even attend the Dillon Lecture Series?

Six students from around campus were asked for their thoughts on the matter:

Madison Staib, Hutchinson freshman, is a student ambassador at HutchCC. She works at the lectures as an usher: “I don’t see many students there, mostly older people. But everybody should go to one at least once, just to see what it’s all about. One speaker I’d like to see is an Olympic athlete or maybe a comedian.”

Katie Herman, a Hutchinson sophomore, is the Student Government Association President and attends every lecture: “I like getting to hear the different experiences from each speaker, the wide variety of topics the series covers, and that the college has set an assembly schedule so students can attend. I always see a wide variety of students attending the lectures.”

Andrew Thompson, a Halstead sophomore, has only attended one lecture during his time at HutchCC and doesn’t plan on changing that: “I’ve only been to one lecture because I was curious about it (Steven Ford’s lecture). My friend and I were bored and decided to go together. But I don’t know anyone who goes regularly.”

Abel Jones, a sophomore from Wichita, occasionally attends lectures that interest him: “Something that would make me want to attend a lecture would definitely have to be a certain speaker, like a coach or someone who’s made an impact and interest me. The topics are important too because if it’s not going to catch my attention I wouldn’t attend the lecture.”

Aaron Buller, a Hutchinson freshman, has never attended a lecture: “I didn’t attend the last lecture because I had been busy that day. I do not know anyone who’s went to a lecture because I don’t know many people at the college as of yet.”

Megan Kipp, a freshman from Hutchinson, says she’s never been to a lecture because she has yet to find one that interests her: “I would go if it was any topic but sports, and if the speaker was someone I knew of or if it was interesting to me. I heard Temple Grandin spoke last year, and that would’ve been so cool if I had known about it.”

Based on this handful of student interviews, one can infer that students do attend the Dillon Lecture Series, but sophomores are more likely to attend at least one lecture during their time at HutchCC. Having a variety of impactful speakers and interesting topics certainly helps gain student interest, since not every student is interested in subjects like sports or history. The DLS could increase the number of students in the audience by widening their variety of speakers.

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