On Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 I delivered my convocation speech. Shortly thereafter Lilah Raptopoulos, the Editor-in-Chief of The College Voice, wrote on Twitter: “The [sic] was the best SGA president speech I’ve seen in my 4 years. Looks like Nate Cornell and I are committed to all the same things.” But, after last week’s editorial we are hard pressed to ask: what happened?
“The Issue” that Lilah brings up in her editorial, that of alcohol and underage drinking on campus, has always been tricky to define, due primarily to the variety of concerned parties on campus: the student body, faculty, staff and administrators, parents and alumni each have their own perspective on The Issue, with their own needs and concerns. Do we need to be told what the issue is? Or should we define it for ourselves?
In conceiving and planning the summit, the Student Government Association hopes to determine whether there is a problem with drinking on our campus. Do our practices and circumstances show us to be better or worse off than our peer institutions? Are students taking responsibility for their actions while under the influence of alcohol? What insights can we gain by engaging in conversation with other NESCAC schools?
The NESCAC Summit will allow us the opportunity to address these and other concerns having to do with alcohol consumption on college campuses. It will allow us to do so in a manner of our own determination, in conversation with students who will bring a new perspective to the table. The summit is envisioned to be a conversation among students, where student leaders from a variety of colleges can share their perspectives without the “institutional condescension” otherwise present.
It is our hope that this summit can evolve in future years to tackle other common issues that confront Connecticut College and its peer institutions. If we spend this year addressing alcohol, next year we may discuss environmental sustainability, for example. If we can establish the summit as a productive environment for honest communication between student leaders, our campus and the NESCAC community will prosper.
If anyone on campus feels that the proposed summit will directly and negatively affect the student body, we encourage them to bring their concerns to our attention. SGA is here to serve the student body and to represent your interests, and if we are failing to do so, please let us know. Talk to your senator, contact sga@conncoll.edu, and make sure your voice is heard.
Thank you,
Nathan Cornell ’11
SGA President
Jamison Hermann ’11
SGA Vice President of Public Relations
