Our Endless Wants, Never Satisfied

We are a campus of endless wants. Like I briefly touched upon in my editorial two weeks ago, we are a campus with a stereotype of feeling sub-par to our peers (perhaps needlessly so).

This pervasive feeling lends itself (especially on a campus inarguably with “haves” as majority) to further pressure the college’s administration, staff, faculty and sometimes even our peers to cater to our every want and need.

Here are some examples of typical student complaints you don’t have to dig too deeply to find:

– Professors don’t initiate enough classroom discussion.
– Students don’t have intellectual conversations outside the classroom.
– The bookstore is too expensive.
– Bathrooms in Central and South dorms need renovating.
– Floor governors get paid too much.
– The dining halls are far too overcrowded.
– Professors assign too much useless reading.
– Applying to live off-campus is a silly, lengthy process.
– Heating in the library is too hot, dorm rooms are too cold.
– Harris food sucks.
– SAC doesn’t put on events other than dances.
– Nothing happens on the weekends.
– Cro-bar shouldn’t charge for pool.
– The New York Times needs to be back on campus next year.
– Bathrooms and hallways get trashed over the weekend.

I’m not agreeing or disagreeing that any of these complaints are valid, but the fact that you can hear almost all of these complaints over the course of a week here, along with numerous others, is problematic.

Some may argue that we’re merely a campus of overprivileged, stereotypical Generation Y-ers and apathetic students.

That might be part of it, but I think there’s more to our complaints than that.

Many of these concerns revolve around money, and students (including myself) are not fully conscious of how much things cost, how long it takes for things to be realized on campus or how much power (or lack of power) we as students can exert on major campus decisions.

Conn is outrageously conservative with its budget, which is an excellent thing, considering the relatively stable financial standing we now enjoy.

According to a survey by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, half of private colleges and universities have frozen new hiring. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that nearly the same number have slowed current construction and renovation projects, and many have outright cancelled planned construction and renovation.

The number of colleges substantially cutting back includes many of our NESCAC peers, other small liberal arts colleges in New England and even bigger names like Harvard and Yale. These colleges have made the news for substantial decreases in programming, financial aid awards and new faculty hires and/or increases in the number of students admitted (Amherst is increasing its student body by 100 students over the next four years).

Conn has not experienced substantial decreases or increases in any of these areas.

Finances are tight (but that’s typical at Conn), and although many students don’t always agree on all the college’s financial priorities, we should be relieved that drastic cuts have not taken place.

Some projects like Harkness Dining Hall have been put on hold, but many of us would rather see money going towards problems we complain about every day that can be resolved with enough denero: like fixing the heating in Central and South houses, repaving the back roads and improving the food in Harris.

These projects can’t happen overnight, obviously. It’s been frustrating for me to see many projects I find of high importance not yet resolved (replacement of windows in KB, Larrabee bathroom renovations…), while other, more cosmetic projects have been pushed to the forefront.

But priorities aside, it would be ridiculous to expect every high-pricetag item to be completed within the four short years I’m on campus.

Let’s keep it in perspective both financially and logistically, but also voice student priorities on the numerous committees and outlets available to us.

Complaints and pressures are often warranted, but directing them through the right venues is key, as is arguing them clearly and well.

Students don’t always have the most power, but by being informed and arguing our perspective persuasively, we can be heard, and perhaps even overcome the stereotype of being overprivileged Generation Y-ers defined by our apathy.