Let’s Talk: Fighting Bureaucracy With Communication

One of the first things I noticed about Columbia was how bureaucracy permeates many aspects of life. Even when it has to do with something as simple as calling HAPPY to get a refill on that toilet paper that has been missing for a week, one often gets the classic bureaucratic runaround. When frustrations build up, it has been hard not to think about ways in which students can overcome this bureaucracy—or at least come to bear with it. My thoughts have led me to believe that one key to doing this is communication.

Students already talk to one another and every week different groups host events and town halls. Seldom, however, do conversations in such settings go beyond the specific circles of students involved with a particular issue.

The consequences of poor communication can be quite real. Without adequate outreach, student groups often can grow insular and lose perspective on issues. Successful communication can create coalitions of students that come from different communities within the campus, thereby strengthening any effort to institute change in Columbia. When dealing with a Byzantine administration, such coalitions can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful initiative.

To illustrate, I will take an example from my experience last year as CCSC’s Academic Affairs representative. Part of my role was to work on the Core Curriculum. After meetings with administrators and students I realized that Major Cultures is one area of the core that could be improved upon, and when I brought this issue back to the rest of council, we concluded that offering more seminar-type classes was one potential change. Although various administrators agreed with this critique and with the solution we proposed for Major Cultures, the council failed to communicate what we were doing to the very students we were representing. Those who agreed with our ideas could have joined our lobbying effort and strengthened it. And those who disagreed with this idea could have told us, thereby adding constructive criticism to the initiative. Instead, when Major Cultures reform became an issue on the hunger strikers’ platform, the entire student body and even some of the hunger strikers and negotiators themselves were caught unaware of previous discussions.

There are various explanations for poor communication. Many of us are overtaxed by obligations within and beyond the classroom; while one can multitask, it is impossible to multitask the finesse required for effective communication. And beyond the simple reality that there are only 24 hours in the day, there are certain institutional realities in campus life that compound the problem. Students often find community in our campus by finding a group that revolves around a particular heritage, interest, or political affiliation, and often there is a degree of separation between these different groups.

Of course, there are occasional examples of successful communication. Take for instance the speak-out that was organized on Low Plaza the day Ahmadinejad visited campus. Despite the tension that filled the day, it was a rare occasion that the entire community was given a chance to participate in a single activity. We need more opportunities at Columbia to bring together people from the different groups that compose our community.

The tension and misunderstanding that has plagued our campus this past semester is a symptom of our failure as a student body to adequately communicate with one another. In order to improve campus life we must ask ourselves how we can institutionalize better communication.

One idea that I have been working on with other students on and off council is the idea of a Columbia Community Conference. The idea is rather simple: every year, the weekend before school starts, there would be a conference where students come together to discuss what the goals of the community should be for the coming year. To ensure a broad spectrum of the student body is represented, it would include members from all student groups and have open spots for unaffiliated students who can apply for a conference seat. Moreover, as incentive to participate, early move-in can be offered to students who participate in the conference.

Finally, to ensure that no specific group dominates the discussion or agenda of the conference, we would make it an independent student-run institution unaffiliated with any governing board or council. Simply put, this can be something akin to Columbia’s Estates General (sans revolution and regicide please).

By bringing together a diverse spectrum of the student body, several things can occur. First, the upcoming year’s priorities can be discussed and determined. Second, relationships can be formed between the members of different student groups that do not usually interact. Such relationships can then be built upon during the year to coordinate activities and initiatives. Third, a better sense of community can be built by bringing together people from different “bubbles.”

Discussions with administrators about this idea are still in an early phase, and there are a lot of kinks to be worked out about the specifics. The general spirit and goal of dialogue and community building is something that all agree upon, but the students and administrators working on this idea need outside input—specifically yours. What are your thoughts? Talk to us.

The author, the vice president of communications for the Columbia College Student Council, is a Columbia College junior majoring in economics.