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When it rains, it pours. 9/11 was one attack after another. The year that followed was one thing after another – terrorism, biological warfare, espionage. Bad things happen in threes. Or perhaps fours or fives. Our Wesleyan community appears, at first glance, to be a safe haven away from the harsh realities of the outside world. Perhaps that is why it is all the more jarring when tragedy befalls a campus such as ours. College life is, ultimately and essentially, a microcosm for the real world. Nevertheless, it is easy to disregard that notion; that is, until chaotic times and tragic events bring such realizations quickly to the surface.
We are forced to realize that, despite the perhaps naive belief that we live in a bubble away from the real world, there are some things that creep on to our campus, despite security officers at the one and only campus entrance. In the chaotic surge of events that accompanied Hurricane Isabel’s pending visit, attitudes on campus mirrored those of the community as a whole, ranging from disinterest and relative indifference to panic and urgent evacuation.
When a member of our student body suddenly and tragically passed away, we were once again reminded that, despite every implication, we were our own community, we could not remain isolated from the outside world for too long at a time. Perhaps what makes such times easier to bear is the realization that, although we are not invisible or invulnerable to the harsh realities of the outside world, we do, in fact, belong to a close-knit community that, in times of crisis, becomes even closer.
Despite a large share of resident students choosing to leave campus during the recent hurricane, 130 chose to remain on campus and brave the elements with fellow students. Due to the fact that the campus becomes a “dry campus” in a state of emergency, alcohol consumption was prohibited. And, on a campus that sees its fair share of alcohol violations and similar situations, there were no instances in which disciplinary measures were necessary. Students expressed their respect to the Residence Life staff, helping to keep the situation as controlled as possible, and residents of Bray Village went as far as to decorate in preparation for the storm, with signs identifying their home away from home as the “home of the Brayve.”
The loss of an active student member of the Wesleyan community sent shock waves throughout the student body as well as the faculty and staff, and once again the coping mechanism has been in keeping with what would appear to be a campus trend: unity. A member of the Wesleyan baseball team expressed an appreciation for the way the campus has rallied in support during a tragic time, saying that, “If anything, our campus family showed.” A microcosm for the real world? Perhaps. Perhaps in the situations we deal with and the obstacles we must overcome. Perhaps the way in which we do so is what makes us unique – and maybe even a little bit remarkable.
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Andy Szymanski |
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Picture this: you’re walking into class to the chants of “freak”, “nerd”, and “weirdo” coming from those you thought were friends, peers, and fellow classmates. This is exactly what happened to me two weeks ago while conducting a sociology experiment. For one day, I was to violate what society deems comfortable and normal. I chose to violate my own personal space. In this case, I used my body. For one day I knew what it meant to be considered different. I am a five foot nine inch tall, 180 pound, middle class, white male, and I have never been considered an outcast. This all changed when I walked around for an entire day with the words “liar,” “cheat,” “cheap,” “thief,” “sinner,” “space monkey,” “religion,” “hate,” “war,” “full of myself,” and “boring” written on my body. The words were written on my face and my arms; nonetheless, it affected the people around me. The first class I walked into just stared at me the entire lecture. My teacher threw a couple of jokes at me upon my arrival, thinking I had drank too much the night before, and it must have been a fraternity joke. One of my friends in the class wrote me a note telling me that I wasn’t any of the words that were written on my body. Instead, she listed words on the note that she thought were more appropriate. Between classes, I talked to several friends who were rather distraught by my appearance. They wanted to know who did it to me so they could take care of it. Walking in the Grille, I talked to two members of the faculty on campus that told me that they’d walk me to the counselor’s office if I wanted to go. I asked them why and in return they asked me if I knew I had words written on my body. I replied no, but said that for some reason students had been staring at me the entire day. I don’t understand why it was such a big deal to everyone on campus. I have friends with tattoos, yet they aren’t teased. I have friends who dress how they want to, and they aren’t ridiculed. I, myself, am in no way a conformist. However, it appears that Virginian Wesleyan College has some serious issues with acceptance. Are students on campus so obsessed with appearance that no one can be unique? I have to admit that I’m a little upset with the outcome of the experiment. Students should be who they want to be. Believe it or not, we are adults now. We structure the way our society is going to be run presently, as well as in the future. For the sake of everyone who comes after us, accept your fellow students. We’ve heard it before, but still remains unanswered. In the words of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin [style of their hair, style of their clothes, etc…] but by the content of their character.” |
Misconstrued TeleVision: |
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Opinions about the unrealistic portrayal of Greek life |
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He Says... |
She Says... |
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By SUSIE SHUPERT
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