Pride of Place

On April 15, Lehman Lawn was abuzz with music, barbecue, and even fireworks as Barnard students celebrated their annual Spirit Day. Columbia, on the other hand, does not have its own Spirit Day—this is both a symptom and a cause of the palpable lack of community on campus. Although school spirit may never be at Columbia what it is at athletic powerhouses or idyllic rural colleges, the Columbia administration should take a leading role in giving Columbians a common sense of identity that unites students of different backgrounds and different school affiliations.

For all its manifest benefits, Columbia’s size and Manhattan location make it hard to sustain a cohesive campus community. Anemic attendance at Columbia sporting events and low turnout at Columbia elections speak to the extent of student apathy. Nonetheless, the past year has repeatedly seen students rally around common causes that engaged their intellectual curiosity. Divisive as they were, both September’s speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and November’s hunger strike involved the entire campus in heated conversations about the state of the University. And year after year, the popular World Leaders Forum stands as proof that Columbia students can get excited about signature University programming. But it shouldn’t take major campus controversies or visits by foreign dignitaries for students to interest themselves in the University’s affairs. Giving students reason to tune in year-round would go a long way toward deepening their attachment to their alma mater.

The administration has, at times, played an active role in encouraging a sense of community through such events as the annual Tree-Lighting Ceremony and fireside chats with University President Lee Bollinger. On a day-to-day basis, however, administrators play a small role in the student experience. The Community Principles Initiative—a two-year attempt by the administration and student leaders to establish a distinct set of values that members of the Columbia community would all be expected to share—has been deemed a failure by many thus far, in part because it holds little concrete relevance for or involvement from most students. Dean Austin Quigley, who remains a stranger to many Columbia College students, should follow the example set by Zvi Galil, the former School of Engineering and Applied Science dean whose weekly e-mails kept SEAS students and administrators on the same wavelength. In addition, the administration should revise ill-considered rules that discourage students from coming together. Columbia’s South Lawn, seemingly too magnificent to be put to good use, is a natural magnet for students who wish to scrimmage or sunbathe, but it remains off-limits far longer than it should.

To be sure, students too must do their part. Where the administration falls short, Columbia students should seize the initiative in the manner of the McIntosh Activities Council, the prime mover behind Barnard’s Spirit Day and other Barnard events. Regardless, it is the administration’s job to create a communal atmosphere that welcomes student engagement in all facets of campus life. Doing so would make for a happier student body—and it would also make good financial sense. If Columbia wants students to care about the University in the future, especially with regard to donations, it must care about them in the here and now. Students must be made to believe that they are an integral part of what Columbia is, rather than four-year lodgers at an institution whose graduates never felt fully at home here.