I was going to write my column regarding something that's been on my mind ever since the end of last term, but then all this crazy SLI stuff got in the way and I had no choice but to get sucked into the black hole of student opinion that it represented and add my voice to the chorus. However, you'll all be happy to know, that I am not, I repeat, not condemning yet another editorial page into the abyss of trustee recommendations.
Yet, at the same time, I felt obligated to tie my original sentiment into a more comprehensive overall picture, and I decided that it was time to stop complaining and blaming, but as the clich goes, to start "contributing to the dialogue." Instead of condemning Dartmouth's fate, I'm going to do my best to try to help it.
To begin with, I would like to add to the discussion regarding minority-discrimination by dealing with one aspect of it that's frequently observed, but not often acknowledged: religious discrimination. Now I know that everyone here is remarkably understanding and may refuse to believe that anything like that could be going on, but I made a couple observations the last week of the fall term that told me otherwise. The first was the fact that the Christmas tree-lighting ceremony and celebration was conducted on the first night of Hanukkah. I am one of many Jews who described this as nothing short of tacky and offensive, celebrating a holiday three weeks prematurely while another holiday went completely unrecognized by the college at large while it was actually occurring. This ties in with the fine imposed on a student for having lit a menorah to celebrate the holiday. Okay, okay, fire safety, regulations, whatever, but I find it offensive that anyone would believe a Jew incapable of safely lighting a menorah. And even if it were seen as such a safety hazard that it could not be ignored, the fine, which was finally dropped, was excessive and ridiculous considering it was imposed on someone for religious expression. And I won't even get into the issue of Dartmouth having the lowest Jewish enrollment among the Ivies.
But, as usual, I digress. The point was that rather than start blaming people left and right, I'm going to propose something that may actually help everyone's situation. When I asked my UGA what he thought I should write about this week, he facetiously said something along the lines of telling '03's to go to UGA meetings since we have one this week. I'm sure he never thought I'd take him up on it, but in a way I am.
I'm trying to elicit a "call to arms" of sorts because the reigning apathy has the potential to bring down much more than Dartmouth. I don't have to tell you how important a time this is in Dartmouth's history, but as long as we sit here and assume everything will work out, we may end up witnessing something no one wants. As long as people do nothing but complain, I don't see how anything good can come of the present dilemma. I refuse to believe that people don't have opinions on how to improve life here, not just in the future but now. Forums, discussions, and meetings I've been to lately have been sparsely populated at best. The snow sculpture needs help: go help. There's a shortage of activities on campus: help think of some. If there's something you see on campus that needs addressing: go to your UGA meeting and, for God's sake, talk about it, because stuff won't happen on its own. Complaining will do nothing but increase resentment and encourage people to do exactly that which you don't want.
So what started as a column decrying what I saw as inconsiderateness to a religious minority and complaining about the need for courteous recognition of every type of minority on campus has developed into an acknowledgment of why such a column would've been meaningless. If you catch me complaining about something, either on campus or in general, smack me and tell me to go to the next meeting to see that my opinion is heard. The administration will continue to feel obliged to strictly define our social lives until they see that we are able to contribute ourselves. Don't let them tell you what you want and need, tell them yourselves. There are an infinite number of possibilities for people to get involved -- in the community and in the present and future of Dartmouth -- so sitting and doing nothing positive when there is so much that can be done is not the way to go. We all have opinions, desires, and needs, and it's high time they were felt. In the mean time, I think the snow sculpture could still use a few extra hands.
