On Self-Reliance

Throughout the past three years, I have been challenged and stimulated by what this college has provided me. It has let me self-design a major, staple fabric to my walls, and yell weird terms like “way enough” at a group of freshmen on the Thames. I have gossiped over scrambled eggs with the Dean of Studies, thrown parties with titles as brazen as “Fat Camp”, and superimposed President Higdon’s face onto the cover of Esquire and printed it in the newspaper. This sense of opportunity cannot be understated, and should not be undervalued.

The introduction of a new athletic logo seems to have brought about a campus-wide identity crisis. Read closely and you’ll see a trend of articles this semester that all reiterate the same point: the campus community is having trouble relating to the image our college projects beyond its walls. This and yet that image is not changing. Our goals are ultimately the same, but we and the image-keepers see them through disparate lenses. All we can ask the administration is that they focus on us, and listen to us. We’re like puppies – if you show us affection and make us feel loved, we won’t pee on your bed.

A comment left on the Voice website last week suggests that students will hopefully “use their strong minds to create entertainment and community independent of the administration – I have faith in Conn students and my enjoyable social experiences at Conn never relied on the institution.”

This is what I think is unique about our students: at our best we are curious, we’re focused, and we’re invested. Yes, we have CISLA and CCBES and CELS and Study Abroad, but those aren’t just acronyms – they’re tools. These are what the school offers today to facilitate what we have been doing on our own here for decades: taking the liberal arts seriously. Directing the breadth, depth and focus of our education by more than just choosing a major. The best students here are the ones that find their thing – whether it be outer space, experimental film or Italian architecture – and through these channels make connections between courses, between courses and clubs, and between courses and clubs and social initiatives.

Campus dialogue suggests that the administration is quietly worried about the consequences of straying from the norm. Though I wonder what they’re afraid of, I have confidence that they’ll eventually come to realize the shortcomings of their approach. Until then, don’t forget that we still have the power to make this campus what we want it to be. Channel your inner Gaga. React. Pull the weird out of the norm, and then play with it.

Claire Gould has passed down a big coffee mug to fill. She brought our staff together this year to make the Voice a news source we can stand behind, one that promotes a diverse campus-wide dialogue both in print and online. She has been a dedicated, level-headed and encouraging Chief. The woman had a hand in everything, but allowed us room for our fair share of creativity or inanity. I speak for the Staff in saying the Voice wouldn’t be where it is without Claire’s leadership. She is our mother hen, and it is with a humble sense of purpose that I take her place.

All said, I can’t do this without your help. Our staff is motivated, caffeinated, and inspired to create something we’d want to read ourselves. We want you onboard.

Have a wonderful summer,
Lilah