The world we live in can be frustrating at times. There are innumerable people and events that have a direct impression on all of our lives in ways that we cannot change, no matter how hard we try.

It would seem to follow, then, that when an opportunity presents itself for individuals to shape the factors that affect them, they would jump at the chance.

Unfortunately, the millennial generation has made it abundantly clear they want nothing to do with such interaction.

Right here in our very own state, with respect to our very own university, the college students of Iowa — and any other interested parties — were given a chance to have their voices heard by the Board of Regents, which appropriates funding for state schools.

The board, in a push to provide more transparency, has started to implement public hearings, where community members can give feedback and suggestions. The first of these hearings, which took place in Urbandale on Friday, Sept. 6, drew a crowd of about the size expected of our generation — a single student.

Joelle Brown, president of the Hawkeye Caucus from the University of Iowa, was the only attendee to the recorded meeting that is to be viewed by Board of Regents members. She went to the meeting to express thanks on behalf of the U of I students for the recent tuition freeze the board implemented.

Brown’s action makes the rest of us ask ourselves: Where were we, the students of Iowa State? Some of us had class; some of us had work. But every single one of us apparently had something better to do.

This is a telling example of just how little action truly comes out of the unending stream of disapproving Facebook posts, tweets and other public notifications that are the hallmark of today’s young adults.

In the age of instant social media, anyone can tell everyone what they think should be done about the various problems that inevitably arise in the world. However, that communication, which has the potential to change the world, is devoid of meaning if nothing is ever done.

Luckily there is no expiration date on becoming involved. We are constantly surrounded by new issues, new discussions and new ways to make ourselves heard. Regarding the Board of Regents, more public hearings will occur this October, at least one of which will be located here in Ames.

It would be more than a little impractical to have more than 30,000 students show up to a single meeting, but every student at Iowa State is represented by a number of individuals, from their advisers and college deans to their Government of Student Body senators and student organization leaders.

Speaking to those representatives and letting them know what issues and ideas they should bring before the Board of Regents is a simple way to begin the process of getting involved in our world.

If we as a generation wish to be taken seriously by the people who are sculpting the world around us, we need to start by taking ourselves seriously. We all have a voice, and we can all have informed opinions. More than that, we all have an open invitation to join a discussion with those whom we should be more than eager to speak with.