Not Slytherin ... not Slytherin.
When midterms are through, Barnard students may soon have a new, pressing concern. In response to the perceived lack of Barnard community, administrators said they are considering sorting students into a system of eight societies.
The proposal came up as President Debora Spar joined about thirty students and Dean of the College Dorothy Denburgat her Wednesday evening fireside chat. The topic of the evening was community, and how to improve it.
When Spar first became Barnard president, she was surprised at students’ claims of a lack of community, for she saw strong links between undergraduates of all years. Spar has posed the question at her regular meetings with the Board of Trustees. “We have a number of men who are on the board,” she said, and “a number of them pointed to things like sports” and lack of game attendance as possible problems. “If we don’t have sports, what do we have in its place?”
Based on talks with recent alumnae, Spar feels that “women’s identity as Barnard students … has more to do with what Barnard students do after they graduate.” Because of the sense of community off-campus in New York City and after students graduate, Barnard has “less of a ‘rah-rah’ sentiment by definition on campus,” said Spar.
At other Ivy League schools, students are required to attend “bonding experiences” before their freshman year “Women don’t come to Barnard because they want to go camping in the woods,” said Spar. “They come to Barnard because they’re looking for an urban experience.” In the past, the Greek Games united Barnard students of all years, but these games are no longer in existence.
“What’s the modern Greek Games?” asked Spar. “Is there something else we can create on campus that would provide … that kind of coming-together?”
To help solve the problem, Spar mentioned the societies proposal. She noted that it is in its early stages, and students at the chat responded enthusiastically. “The idea we’ve come up with is to create some kind of societies,” said Spar.
When first-years show up in the first week of school, they would be randomly sorted into eight different groups of about 80 students each. Though it is an artificial sense of identity, Spar said, it “instantly puts you in a smaller group,” instead of feeling alienated among hundreds of other first-years.
Denburg compared this experience to the process of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter book series. Creating individual “house” identities within the larger Barnard community would help students adjust to the community Barnard does have. Each society would be named after a famous Barnard graduate and advised by an alumna, who might even participate in some of their activities.
Students expressed concerns that they did not want these societies to be based solely on common interest, class year, or in residential halls. Spar stressed the necessity for the societies to integrate all classes into a Barnard community. “I’m in an in-residence seminar and our floor is a very tightly knit floor,” said Hannah Goldstein, BC ’13. “I wonder what would happen if … every seminar were an in-residence.”
Sandy Susser, BC ’10, concurred, saying, “I love the idea of it being the actual house you’re living in … and then you have this vast number of people that you can run to.”
Spar tabled that idea, due to commuter students’ inability to participate.
Other students stated that they would not want common-interest societies because they would like to meet others outside their own majors or interests. “I know it’s been said already, but I also just feel really strongly that you can’t just divide groups by interest,” said Susser. She suggested “department mixers,” saying, “I think it would be so interesting to foster community by throwing different people together in a room.”
Students and Spar expressed a clear desire to incorporate the surroundings of New York City into the experience. “For people who are choosing to come here,” they are “part of urban experiences,” said Spar. “You’re not bonding in a tent; you’re bonding on a subway.”
More than anything, students will need to get involved to bring the policy of Barnard societies to fruition. “I think if people remain excited by this idea ... it would be great to get it launched by September of next year,” Spar said.
She recommended students send e-mails to Giselle Leon, BC ’10, who is the vice president of communications for Barnard’s Student Government Association, if they are willing to get involved.
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