2008 Woodie Awards
Editor's Column
Eli Rubin
Issue date: 11/5/04 Section: Commentary
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Whose school is this? As I watch the student body around me change, my own home
threatened, I can't help but wonder to whom this institution belongs. Is it the stu
dents of today? Alumni? The administration? It is undeniable that one of the many reasons President Chopp and Dean Weinberg have come under such great criticism is because of a prevailing belief throughout some of Colgate's current students, and many of its past, that these "new administrators" are attempting to take away that which so many people hold dear to their hearts. Many alumni, furthermore, believe that because Colgate was a certain way years ago, it should remain the same today. My parents, for example, attended a Fordham-Colgate football game in New York City two years ago to show their support for the school - only to sit next to a gentleman wearing a shirt that read "I went to Colgate before it sucked."
It is a difficult job to cater to the needs of those who have passed through Colgate, those who currently school here and those who have yet to attend. President Chopp and the Board of Trustees feel that for Colgate to succeed, which is what everyone wants, the school must change. The administration doesn't like to use the word "change"; the strategic plan instead states that the school is "embracing [its] traditions and [its] strengths." Many students, however, would beg to differ.
Yet, what it comes down to is not whether the school is "changing" or not, but rather what each person's perception of "success" actually is. Is success marked by the average SAT score of each matriculating First-year? Our school's rank in U.S. News & Report? Though many would answer with a resounding "no," to a degree these facts are important; there are many people, myself included, that will be applying to jobs and schools where Colgate's status among elite universities will be taken into consideration. However, the school's ranking is obviously not the success everyone views as most important. And thus we are forced to look elsewhere: Athletics? Quality of life? Success with the new Case Library, perhaps?
threatened, I can't help but wonder to whom this institution belongs. Is it the stu
dents of today? Alumni? The administration? It is undeniable that one of the many reasons President Chopp and Dean Weinberg have come under such great criticism is because of a prevailing belief throughout some of Colgate's current students, and many of its past, that these "new administrators" are attempting to take away that which so many people hold dear to their hearts. Many alumni, furthermore, believe that because Colgate was a certain way years ago, it should remain the same today. My parents, for example, attended a Fordham-Colgate football game in New York City two years ago to show their support for the school - only to sit next to a gentleman wearing a shirt that read "I went to Colgate before it sucked."
It is a difficult job to cater to the needs of those who have passed through Colgate, those who currently school here and those who have yet to attend. President Chopp and the Board of Trustees feel that for Colgate to succeed, which is what everyone wants, the school must change. The administration doesn't like to use the word "change"; the strategic plan instead states that the school is "embracing [its] traditions and [its] strengths." Many students, however, would beg to differ.
Yet, what it comes down to is not whether the school is "changing" or not, but rather what each person's perception of "success" actually is. Is success marked by the average SAT score of each matriculating First-year? Our school's rank in U.S. News & Report? Though many would answer with a resounding "no," to a degree these facts are important; there are many people, myself included, that will be applying to jobs and schools where Colgate's status among elite universities will be taken into consideration. However, the school's ranking is obviously not the success everyone views as most important. And thus we are forced to look elsewhere: Athletics? Quality of life? Success with the new Case Library, perhaps?