by Candy Taylor
Some people telling other people what they think. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
I often find myself reflecting back on an experience I had as a prospective Conn student during an overnight visit. I remember sitting in a small Branford double with three underclassmen engaging in a heated debate about whether or not humans should drink milk! Yeah, you read correctly; we were arguing about good old-fashioned pasteurized, homogenized, fat-, carbohydrate- and antibiotic-filled milk. I remember going home after that visit in awe of the ability of those students to discuss such a seemingly simple topic with such passion and articulateness. I knew then that Connecticut College was the place I belonged. If I could learn and be intellectually stimulated by my peers outside of the classroom, I just knew that the classroom setting had to be twice as dynamic and enriching.
As I now sit back and reflect on the experiences of my two years here at Conn, I’ve realized that I’ve very rarely found the same passion and zeal for simple learning and intellectual engagement that I found on my first visit here. I’m sure that this is why I often find myself wondering, “What the hell am I doing here?” I was so in love with the idea that students helped each other learn and grow both inside and outside of the classroom, and I’m dumbfounded as to why that doesn’t happen here as often as I expected it would as an antsy, explorative and curious first-year student.
I’ve learned that what we have here at Connecticut College is a highly apathetic student body. We are a group of students who often think that we don’t have to work to learn, that we should be fed knowledge. While I understand this logic, it is indeed an education with a $50,000+ price tag. I’m writing this article to let you know that’s not how the real world works. As often as people tell you college is not the real world, unfortunately it is, regardless of what you’ve heard. Life still happens, people still judge you as you walk to and fro on campus and your actions do indeed have consequences. That’s about as real as the world gets.
What bothers me most is not the fact that we are sometimes apathetic. Yeah it sucks, but hey, what can I do about that? Really, I’m most frustrated by the effect that this apathy creates. The indifference moves through our student body like a virus passing from one student to the next, dragging those passionate and engaged students down as well. It also affects our professors. During a discussion with Professor Aida Heredia of the Hispanic Studies Department, she described to me the qualms she faces because of the apathy of her students.
“It pains me to present some of my favorite literary works with my students only to have them come to class and share insincere and not thoughtful opinions about them,” she said. “And I thought it was just me, but my colleagues in other departments feel the same way.” This cohort effect reaches each and every individual on this campus, and it breeds an environment that does not adequately illuminate who we are as a college community. It does not show how intelligent and wise we are, it does not show how progressive we are and it surely does not show how much we truly have to offer the world outside our small campus.
With all of this said, I want to make it clear that I am not one to complain about the apathy of the student body just because I can. I am one who complains because I know that we can be better, and I am searching for the solution to do just that. My hope is that we begin to challenge the apathy of our peers with energy, excitement and passion. I know I’m ready to do so. It makes no sense that a student body with so much intelligence, wisdom and wit does not strive to uplift and educate one another.
With this challenge in place, I’d like to introduce a new series to the Connecticut College community called “Tell Us What You Think.” Once a week, I will be hosting an hour-long open discussion and dialogue about a random topic. I want you all to be there to tell the rest of your peers what you think about the subject at hand. I think that this is a simple, non-stressful activity that we can all engage in and use to begin to change our campus climate to one that truly is intellectually stimulating both inside and outside the classroom.
Our first topic in the “Tell Us What You Think” series will be this article. I’ve written it; you’ve read it. Come to the Cro second floor couches this Wednesday, April 13, at 10 PM. And for the love of God, women, sex, Buddha, coloring books, tropical rainforests or whatever you truly care about, tell us what you think! •
