Wren & Wolf 1
Wren & Wolf 2
Rose Tatarsky '16
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
135th Founder's Day Address
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 135TH FOUNDER'S DAY EXERCISES OF
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA,
THE REMARKS OF THE GHOST OF JUDGE ASA PACKER.
To the scholars, leaders, future leaders, extroverts, introverts, extroverted introverts, honored guests, and parking services representatives here assembled, I extend a warm welcome and my thanks for your attendance today. Especially you, parking services, because it's free parking out there as long as you're in here.
This address comes at an interesting time for Lehigh, particularly for this current student body. It is a time when the behaviors of some and the silence of the many demand reflection and compassionate action. There has never been a more perfect moment to gather as many campus leaders in one space than there is right now. And so today I wish to convey to everyone a message on the importance of emotional intelligence.
I have read the "Dear Lehigh" letter many times, followed the evolving coverage of this movement by the Brown and White, and also read some thoughtful responses to both posted on Reddit as I am sure all of you have. The hurt is plain to see both in and between the lines written by all three "constituencies" (a term used for convenience, not purpose of exclusion). The hurt is a fact. Don't miss that by over-parsing the text or quibbling over details, as the scholarly instincts you've been well trained exercise are inclined to do. There is a forest here and we're likely to miss it if we don't commit to truly listening to each other.
Whether you agree with FBR's tactics or not, the simple truth is this: people have been hurt.
Whether you agree with FBR's status as marginalized or not, people have been hurt.
Whether you agree that the campus is an inclusive place or not, people have been hurt.
It may not be in our power to heal that which hurts another, but it is our obligation to put an end to that which causes it. It is not our place to question the substance of what another human being feels, but it is our obligation - our responsibility - to empathize with them in their time of trouble. As peer leaders that empathy is many, many times more powerful than anything the administration could ever convey. As peer leaders, your actions to change the campus climate can have a resounding impact for generations to come. This is your moment to leave a real legacy not counted in dollars donated or symbolized by names etched on buildings, but exemplified in the lives of generations of Lehigh students.
This cause is not the better of any man or woman here assembled, nor is it one that anyone in this room should dare shrink from. In fact, it is what a "servant of nature" is supposed to do. Homo minister et interpres naturae. The university motto is not a technical call to arms - it is a distinctly human one. We, too, are nature. And today that call to serve each other should be ringing in your ears and stirring your heart to action.
You, the student leaders of Lehigh, have in your hands the power to leave Lehigh better than you found it. You are all here because you've known what it is to lead. You've been recognized for your operational capabilities, your creative skills, and your dedication to the task at hand. And if you didn't realize it before, now I'm making it absolutely clear: you are called to be servant leaders of all of your fellow students, not just your beloved alma mater or your fraternity or your dance team or ASA. This means hearing - not just listening - and responding not with defensiveness and dismissal, but compassion and empathy.
Remember a mentor who left a profound and lasting impression on your life. How did they come to be so well regarded? Likely it was because they cared enough to demand more from you using words and acts that hit you right where it had the greatest impact. They were inclusive, compassionate, and empathetic to everyone they touched. That's the kind of emotional intelligence that can't be taught in a classroom or aroused by a speech. It can only originate in love - not the passionate kind, but the love the Greeks called "Philia". It's affectionate in a way that regards the individual with respect and conveys loyalty. Could you think of any higher honor from your peers as to be thought of that way?
Ask yourself now: are you as emotionally intelligent as you are technically capable? Are you willing to push yourself to be the leaders that Lehigh needs right now to create a better campus climate? Will your authentic voice be one of inclusion, honesty, respect, and trust? Will you use that voice without exception and without hesitation to shut down and correct any act, no matter how casual or accidental, that draws a line between "us" and "them"? Of course you're saying yes. But is your authentic voice and the voice of the organizations you lead being heard the same way by those who aren't already a part of it?
This week, both FBR and the Brown and White realized that their voices weren't being heard they way they heard themselves. Look at how quickly that descended into needlessly frustrating back-and-forth that had absolutely nothing to do with the real issue: the hurt. We all saw how one party's belief that they weren't being heard triggered uncomfortable feelings of isolation in many others. It was an ironically powerful moment: those who had the privilege of always being heard were isolated, while those who were originally isolated felt even more so when asked about the source of their isolation. What seems self-evident to one is not always so to others.
FBR has done us all a great service by holding up a mirror to our campus and made the smallness of everyone's behaviors (including their own) uncomfortably clear. This is no time for ideological purity nor is it the time to cling to the status quo. We here assembled are called to act in the spirit of philia, not just within our organizations but among the student body at large. This means openness, this means empathy, and this means inclusion as a matter of behavior not just thought.
Lehigh University recruits intelligent people and seeks to mold them into worldly leaders. Diversity and global thinking are an essential part of that transformation, but so too is emotional intelligence. It takes confidence and trust to lead people into through an uncomfortable transition, both of which have roots in genuine concern for everyone around you. This is your call to live up to the motto of this fine university. Rise above your comfortable existence and your entrenched position to build a more inclusive campus one person at a time. This is the challenge that can establish a legacy you will be proud of. Lehigh will be better for it, your peers will respect you for it, and you will be a better person for it.
With love,
Asa
@asapackersghost
10 October 2013
10 October 2013
Homo minister et interpres naturae.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Dear Lehigh University: #FBR
"[Lehigh] does not appreciate progress or change. A university
should be forward thinking, and this is precisely why Lehigh will never be a
world-class university."
—AdInfinitum22's response to "Why
People Transfer Out of Lehigh"[i]
Dear
Lehigh University,
Sometimes
I wonder why I came here in the first place. I am an Asian-American, and for my
entire life I've been repeatedly denied the first half of my existence by the
white middle-class suburbs I grew up in. When I came here for Diversity Life
Weekend, I thought that, maybe for once, I would be accepted somewhere. You
know, since Lehigh is supposedly one of the world's "leading institutions" that believes a "community deeply committed to
harmonious cultural diversity" is an "essential element of the learning environment."[ii]
But
apparently not.
I sit next to you
in class.
So did Russhon Phillips and the three other black football players who were
villainized by The Express-Times and
other media outlets. But this isn't about the fight—it’s just the last straw.
There have been multiple stories about the specifics, confirmed or unconfirmed
usage of the word nigger that sparked
the fight, etc. circulating back and forth, so it's pointless arguing about the
details.[iii]
The point is,
this incident and its reaction are a microcosm of the larger issues on campus. If you are not a white,
middle/upper-class, heterosexual, Christian/Jewish, able-bodied male, then you
are a minority and most likely made to feel like one: minor. Your minority
status, rather than being celebrated like it briefly is during “Diversity”
Achievers Program and “Diversity” Life Weekend, is held against you and a
stranger's actions will be used to define you:
"Often when I walk on this campus, people
in cars drive by and yell, 'Look at this nigga!' then drive away
laughing."[iv]
"I am lesbian and I don't feel safe
here."[v]
"#86 I'm in the same boat as #12 and
#63. I was raped for the second time in my life here and I feel like nobody
would believe me because he's in a ‘good’ house and I'm nobody."[vi][vii]
But these
incidents are not limited to the past four years. Digging through Lehigh's
archives reveals a history of marginalization ever since Lehigh first opened
its doors to minorities. In response to students' protests, the administration
has held brown bag discussions and town hall meetings and enacted some
changes—but nothing has changed. Alumni from the 80’s and 90’s visit, only to
hear incidents recurring and the campus culture the same.[viii]
For an
education that we’ve earned as well, we feel our voices are suppressed and
we’re made to feel unsafe in a place that is our second home for four years. This
is unacceptable, and we demand change.
We are FBR—From
Beneath the Rug—a united coalition of all marginalized groups that is calling
attention to all the issues that Lehigh pushes “beneath the rug.” You've probably heard of us—Tuesday’s
and Thursday's fliers, Friday's chalkings, Friday's silent protest—but are
unsure of what we are fighting for, given our decline to a Brown and White interview. Maybe it seems incongruous for
marginalized groups to isolate themselves even further by not speaking to the
largest voice on campus, but for once, we wanted to use our authentic voice and
speak on our own terms, not anybody else’s:
To the
leadership of Lehigh University, we have given you a list of our demands. All
of this is repeated history, and as stated in your mission statement and the
Principles of Our Equitable Community:[ix] to change
the world's future, you need to change your own future. When ignoring our
voices this way—what, then, does a Lehigh degree mean?
How can
you expect to raise international leaders with "effective communication as their habit," "live by a set
of mature cultural and personal values," and "respect human dignity" when you cannot even listen to
our voices? How is it possible that "all
members of the Lehigh community...develop as effective and enlightened
citizens" when you ignore us and deny others the opportunity of
learning with us? You do so much to "recruit diversity" yet do so
little to "embrace diversity." We are not numbers to fill a quota,
and we will no longer be used as tokens—we are members of the Lehigh community,
and we
are here.
It is
time for Lehigh to become the "leading
institution" it has always claimed to be.
Sincerely,
Sunny Huang
FBR
For more information about FBR and what we are about, feel free to
send questions to fbrlehigh@gmail.com or tweet us at
#FBR. We welcome commentary as well; productive dialogue can achieve mutual
understanding, which is essential to change the Lehigh culture.
[i]http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/thebrownandwhiteopinion/index.ssf/2013/09/edit_desk_why_people_transfer.html#comments
[iii] We would, however, like to clarify
that in no way are we condoning the violence. Violence is never an acceptable
answer to any situation, and what happened that night is unfortunate.
[vi] Lehigh Confessions at
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=429133830508614&id=423093227779341
[vii] Just because you haven’t observed or had any
negative experiences individually does
not mean it hasn’t happened to many more. These are systemic issues, not “one or
two person” issues. If you do not know this, you are either lucky enough to
not be part of a marginalized group, or you are unaware of it. For more
personal stories, contact us at the email address listed.
[viii] There are too many incidents of insensitivity in
Lehigh's history to list here. For examples, contact us at the email address
listed.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Playing It Safe
When I was young my parents always told me that I could be
whatever I wanted to when I grew up. Now a twenty-year old, I can’t help but
wonder if I truly took their words to heart. As a child, I don’t think becoming
a bioengineer was very high up on my “what I want to be when I grow up list.”
At the top of the list were things like being an actor or baseball player. If I
truly believed my parents’ words, why did I never try out for school plays and
why did I quit my little league baseball team in the seventh grade? Was it due
to lack of motivation from my parents or from laziness on my own part to become
truly good at something? The answer is no to both of those questions. While my
parents did not push me extremely hard to become an all-star baseball player,
it would be selfish to blame them for why I am not on my way to the major
leagues right now. They wanted me to carve my own path and follow my own
dreams, not their dreams for me. I wasn’t lazy either; I applied myself in many
other areas of my life like my school work.
The
truth is I was scared. The wild dreams of a child to become a major league
baseball player or movie star became silly ideas as I grew older. The thought
of pursuing either of those careers, which both have very low rates of success
for people trying to make a name for themselves, was a terrifying one because,
like most people, I feared failure. The easier road was to pursue what I was
best at, school.
So
now here I am, a junior bioengineer at a prestigious university. I am not
unhappy, and I truly feel blessed to be afforded the opportunity to attend
Lehigh and to have a family that supports me and loves me. Yet I can’t help but
wonder, have I truly made the most
out of my life or am I going through the motions? Have I taken chances or have
I played it safe? Mostly I try not to think about it because what’s past is
past, and I always try to make the best out of any situation.
I
can still try to live up to the words my parents said to me, but by now is it
too late? In telling my friend some of these thoughts, she told me “Colin, you
could change your major right now, but you won’t.” She is right. I’ve come too far to start fresh, the dreams of
my youth are gone anyway, and again, I’m still scared of failing. While there’s
no guarantee the path I’m on right now will lead me somewhere meaningful, I do
enjoy bioengineering and look forward to what the future holds. Maybe it is
just the rigors of a junior year engineering course load instilling doubt and worry
into my mind, but for now I will have to struggle with these fears of almost
indescribable nature.
Still,
I can’t help but smile every time I see someone else’s childhood dream become
reality. It was such a great moment watching C.J. McCollum get drafted into the
NBA because it was such a real example to me and everyone else at Lehigh of
what it is like to achieve your dream. Moments like that give weight to the idea
of being able to be anything when you grow up. Moments like that make me hope
that when I have kids one day, they believe it and live it more than I did as a
child. Moments like that make me think maybe I still have a lot of growing up
to do, and it’s not too late to live the words my parents told me when I was
younger.
- Colin Orr '15
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
A Casual Ride
Photo by Lizzy Silverstein
"Mischief, mischief about" called the graffiti shrouded woman as the biker passed.
And there was, as always.
Mischief, corruption, and the like chosen to be disregarded by lofty-minded fools sitting in proper bars.
The rider continued eluded by new sights, heat, and traffic.
Meanwhile tattoo parlors punctured victims in shroud-less windows and smokers idly embodied life’s burdens with single exhales.
The swanky coffee bar called, Toddy’s poured, arrogant assholes believing they were something gossiped about politics they knew nothing about.
Appeased by the counterfeit romanticism the rider thought, “I must return.”
"Water?" cried the homeless man from the sizzling road. The traveler lent him but a gulp.
"Poor fool" the itinerant heard the graffiti say, though miles behind, still left attending the desolate wall.
Disillusioned, sweat accumulated beneath the biker’s breast and stink and salt met the nose.
But she felt nothing.
-Lizzy Silverstein '14
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