2008 Woodie Awards
The Colby ideal
Zach Haas
Issue date: 3/16/07 Section: Opinions
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One reason that we all choose study at Colby is because people are nice here. I once heard an observation that said that the typical Colby student is "smart and nice." Of course this was way back in the day when tuition was in the 30s (gasp!). However, with the exception of a few new buildings, I just don't think that the Colby student of today is that much different than the Colby student from twenty years ago. Sure we have better haircuts now, but if the entire student body was replaced with our youthful counterparts from the past, I'm not sure anyone would notice. So here's the question I would like to entertain today. Are we living up to the good Colby name?
Let's talk about the Senior Steps, and about dorm damage, and about campus stereotypes, and, above all, and this is huge people, let's talk about pathway etiquette. Are we proud of the way that the administration and the community views Colby and its students? When someone downtown recognizes you as a Colby student, are you embarrassed or proud? Do you have pride in the institution, or do you find yourself daydreaming about what it would have been like as a Polar Bear down in Brunswick? These are hard questions to ask, especially because it is much easier to let yourself become disillusioned and allow the "saps" in Eustis and in Student Activities to desperately plea for a little campus solidarity. The good news is it's not too late to change things.
Everyone had an ideal coming into Colby, and there is no reason that that ideal has to die just because Dana ran out of food at 7:45 p.m. one time sophomore year. It seems sometimes that we are caught in the dangerous habit of constantly comparing Colby to other places. We don't have a 24-hour library because that really doesn't make any sense. We don't have dining services at midnight like some schools because we just renovated a dining hall and built two new buildings, not to mention a new student union. I can only see life at Colby improving dramatically in the next five years, whereas some seem to bemoan its inevitable decline.
There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be terribly proud of this school and its reputation. This is why it concerns me to observe situations which could be termed "uncolby." What's wrong with inviting someone to eat with you and your friends if that person is seated alone? What's wrong with sharing the walkway, even when you are with your entire entourage? Perhaps we should envision ourselves as freshmen again, with the purpose of re-learning why we are very lucky to be here. Only as a cohesive and cooperative unit, the entire school together, can we really see the Colby ideal manifested. What if we lived every day like it was September 8th of our freshman year? What if we were all "smart and nice"?
Let's talk about the Senior Steps, and about dorm damage, and about campus stereotypes, and, above all, and this is huge people, let's talk about pathway etiquette. Are we proud of the way that the administration and the community views Colby and its students? When someone downtown recognizes you as a Colby student, are you embarrassed or proud? Do you have pride in the institution, or do you find yourself daydreaming about what it would have been like as a Polar Bear down in Brunswick? These are hard questions to ask, especially because it is much easier to let yourself become disillusioned and allow the "saps" in Eustis and in Student Activities to desperately plea for a little campus solidarity. The good news is it's not too late to change things.
Everyone had an ideal coming into Colby, and there is no reason that that ideal has to die just because Dana ran out of food at 7:45 p.m. one time sophomore year. It seems sometimes that we are caught in the dangerous habit of constantly comparing Colby to other places. We don't have a 24-hour library because that really doesn't make any sense. We don't have dining services at midnight like some schools because we just renovated a dining hall and built two new buildings, not to mention a new student union. I can only see life at Colby improving dramatically in the next five years, whereas some seem to bemoan its inevitable decline.
There's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be terribly proud of this school and its reputation. This is why it concerns me to observe situations which could be termed "uncolby." What's wrong with inviting someone to eat with you and your friends if that person is seated alone? What's wrong with sharing the walkway, even when you are with your entire entourage? Perhaps we should envision ourselves as freshmen again, with the purpose of re-learning why we are very lucky to be here. Only as a cohesive and cooperative unit, the entire school together, can we really see the Colby ideal manifested. What if we lived every day like it was September 8th of our freshman year? What if we were all "smart and nice"?
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