Author: Davida Persuad
During my senior year of high school, between the meetings, practices, rehearsals and occasional academics, I embarked upon the tedious journey of applying to colleges. I researched, I visited, I thought harder about my future than I ever had before and came to the conclusion that Oxy seemed to suit my personality perfectly. I was attracted to Oxy for more than its prestigious reputation, premium location and liberal arts education. It was the emphasis on student involvement that Oxy constantly emphasized and the energy that resonated throughout the quad, chalked with banners for upcoming events, that cemented my decision to attend Oxy. Coming from a high school career where I busied myself with extracurricular activities, I was eager to attend Oxy, a school brimming with students that I felt to be of a unique caliber who were undoubtedly involved in their high school beyond academics.
After I arrived at Oxy, however, my hopes for enthusiastic student involvement on campus grew dimmer with each passing day. The most confounding part of this apathetic attitude is that the Oxy students I’ve encountered express passionate conversations amongst friends at the dinner-table and during class discussions about communal issues. However, there still remains a lack of involvement by the majority of the student body, as most students don’t act on these convictions.
The quad, the most communal setting on our campus, no longer resonates with the energy I perceived during my visit. Whatever great feeling of community I had envisioned in the quad was not only absent, but completely conquered by the apathetic attitude of students on campus. In fact, the most potent display of this apathy on campus occurs in the student quad. Students are offered opportunities to get involved in their college community, yet blatantly refuse to contribute or even learn about the causes and organizations available. The two-hour staring match between quad-sitters and students reinforces the lack of involvement within our school.
Everyday the academic quad is lined with tables flashing colorful signs that represent clubs and organizations while on some days the beats of KOXY spark electricity in the air. However, opposite from this appealing layout of students promoting their causes and organizations are students finishing Marketplace meals, catching up with friends, and completing homework on the lawn of the Cooler, avoiding interaction with said groups. I think we all recognize this scenario: the desperate club members trying to appeal to the apathetic student body – to no avail.
There is something particularly disheartening about the fact that there is such a division between quad-sitters and the students sitting in the quad. Quad-sitting, a noble effort on the parts of organizations, inevitably transforms into an awkward staring contest where students merely observe the efforts of their peers at the tables, yet refuse to acknowledge what it is they are promoting. Having been a quad-sitter myself, I can honestly say that it is not the students’ disinterest in my organization, but rather their complete disregard and their unconcerned attitude that is most frustrating. Apathy seems to emanate from the student body, as they refuse to spend time listening to the organization’s cause.
The most frustrating experiences I have had quad-sitting are the ones where we, the quad-sitters, have tried to attract students by offering free treats – be it cookies or cupcakes – and while this succeeds in creating a crowd in front of the table, the focus on food seems to triumph the cause being promoted. We know our campus is apathetic when students prioritize free food over campus involvement.
The fact that students ignore the philanthropic causes, athletics, political activism and even leisure activities promoted through organizations in the quad is not only distressing, but it also has a particularly crippling effect on our school. Without student support, organizations are severely limited in their potential to help a particular cause, to promote on-campus sports and arts or even to host events such as those classic on-campus dances that create our Oxy memories.
We are young, vivacious students bound together by the Oxy community, yet we continue to allow our apathetic attitudes to plague our school. The fact of the matter is, it is possible to get involved on campus, in the community and even in national and international issues, right here in our own quad, yet we continue to succumb to apathy. We are all strapped for time and not all of us can fully commit to an organization, but we can lose the label of apathetic. At the very least, we need to show support for on-campus organizations by actually approaching the students on the other side of the table, or by talking to them when they attempt to initiate a conversation.
Listening to these quad-sitters and learning about their causes takes no effort, and is an essential step in defeating the apathy that plagues our school. Overcoming the apathetic attitude that hovers over our campus begins in the quad where opportunities to get involved on campus continue to present themselves. This is our time to accomplish these ideals as a community and to put an end to the apathetic attitudes that hinder our school’s potential. Involve yourself.
Davida Persaud is an undeclared sophomore. She can be reached at persuad@oxy.edu.
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