Last week Wesley Vaughn wrote about establishing a unified campus identity – a stance that prompted criticism from graduate student Greg Houser about the concept of discussing a problem without offering a solution. With respect to both Vaughn and Houser, an identity is not what the University of Alabama is lacking.
The inherent flaw in Vaughn’s original piece is the idea that the University needs a single identity for students to unify behind. The fact of the matter is that when we begin to associate anything with one specific descriptor, what’s really happening is stereotyping.
Take a moment to think about some other universities and their identities; frankly, other than athletics I can’t really come up with any that go beyond “School A is full of nerds” and “School B is a great place to party,” both of which couldn’t possibly be universally true.
As a student and future alumnus of this university, I don’t want people to have a one-word answer for the question, “What is the University of Alabama?” When that question is posed, I want it to spark a discussion. I want it to spark a description of all that makes it great. In truth, the identity of this university is founded on the notion that anyone, no matter what personal interest they’re passionate about, can find a community somewhere on-campus.
So yes, that means the greek system plays a vital role in our identity — a quarter of the student body is too large to pretend it doesn’t exist. The beauty of the system, though, is that one can still get that sense of community from other, similar, programs such as the Mallet Assembly or the Blount Undergraduate Initiative. It may not be as large, but the option is there for students.
Personally, I’m a student media guy — that’s my identity on campus, but I also carry that part of my identity into the outside world. Much like a member of Alabama’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (the founding chapter, for those unaware) has that little extra bit of pride in his fraternity, I too take a little extra pride in writing for The Crimson White as opposed to The Auburn Plainsman or the Daily Gamecock.
The trick is to dedicate your time and talents into whatever aspect of the University you are involved with. The University of Alabama does not have a single identity – it is the sum of its parts as represented by the student body and alumni.
The great thing about the University is that we recognize and take pride in our accomplishments. We should celebrate having the largest sorority rush class in the nation; we should celebrate Creative Campus and the students who created PixelCon out of thin air; we should celebrate the UA Ad Team that finished second nationally in 2009.
And that’s just it – we do.
So maybe that’s our identity. We, as the students, faculty and alumni of the University of Alabama, recognize and appreciate greatness. We appreciate greatness, and we strive in our daily lives to ensure its presence.
John Davis is an IBM Supercomputer. His column appears weekly on Thursdays.
