Usually this school offers plenty of things to complain and worry about. In fact, there is frequently a surplus of issues to be taken up, keeping us much too busy fretting to do much else.
In the past week, however, I have managed to avoid scattered panic and have concentrated on one problematic issue: exclusivity. It's everywhere on this campus. And it seems to be fueling most of our "problems" and "concerns."
I mean, we've got the Greek system with its arbitrarily discriminating rush process, senior and secret societies with their archaic ways and underground activities, and even secret grassroots uprisings, limited to only handfuls of organizers. Everywhere we turn, it seems, there's some group not inviting us to join.
While I'm sure most of the people in these groups (the people I know, at least) are more-than-worthy individuals, aspects of their organizations can be hurtful. And a lot of the hurt, it seems, comes from exclusionary selection processes.
So after days of researching, observing, conducting surveys and stewing, I was all ready to write a thesis -- maybe two -- on exclusivity, its origins, its manifestations, and the harm it causes in smallish communities like Dartmouth.
Then I spent the whole weekend elsewhere.
On Saturday morning I took a couple of my fourth-grade friends to the Hanover Terrace nursing home to go on an Easter egg hunt and play Bingo with the residents. It was, of course, lots of fun and pretty chaotic. My Easter egg team did quite well; they cleaned up on money-filled eggs. Not surprising, as the other kids were all about four.
With our winnings, my friends and I bought candy at a candy store, walked around to enjoy the nice weather, and even ate hot dogs on the street. I couldn't believe I was in Hanover at school. It felt more like a vacation or like being at home.
After those fun events, I joined one of my best friends at his house in Vermont for a family dinner and Easter weekend. We sat around and talked, ate a lot of good food, and took walks along dirt paths, under covered bridges and beside abandoned railroad tracks.
After dinner we talked about the news and happenings in the world, of which I am relatively and embarrassingly ignorant. So I stayed silent, watched the fire and learned a few things.
On Sunday, following a picnic by the river, we returned to Hanover, where I ate dinner with my favorite family in the area and some friends. Afterwards, we watched cartoons and ate cake.
And the point of all of this self-absorbed rhetoric? To illustrate why I no longer care that much about exclusivity at Dartmouth. It's not worth feeling unhappy and unsatisfied here. It's not worth feeling bad about not being asked to be in a secret society. And it's not worth saying antagonistic things without taking action.
For two and a half years, I've been too afraid to say that I don't like hanging out in frat basements, that I think sorority rush is disgusting, and that secret societies and senior societies can be even creepier than Greek houses. But now that I'm brave enough to speak up, I don't really want to anymore.
I don't want to contribute to the dialogue on the Greek system that tends to waste space while failing to accomplish much. I don't want to spend my time bickering about such silly things (which, as mentioned above, doesn't seem to help) when there are so many other important things out there.
But I'm glad I'm not afraid anymore. I'm still pretty frustrated with the number of unnecessarily exclusive groups on campus, and I still wish that more students would take a risk and not let such organizations control life around here. I still wish the College wouldn't recognize these clubs, organizations and societies that further segregate the student body, as well as perpetuate outdated and harmful social interactions.
But I'm not sure what can be done about these problems. As far as I can tell, the people who care have tried pretty much everything to make sweeping changes, while enjoying little success. Maybe it's because these are all such complicated issues, and because it's so hard to figure out what to think.
So perhaps our energy would be more wisely spent on enjoying the great things in this community and making sure we remain the individuals we want to be.
I guess I'll just keep volunteering, visiting friends and trying to remember to read the newspaper. So many of these Dartmouth problems will probably take years to solve, and there is way too much else to think about and enjoy in the meantime. Like mountains in Vermont and Bingo games at nursing homes.
