Participation at Pitzer

Enthusiasm is waning among students

By Kelly Smith
Staff Writer

Pitzer College prides itself on political consciousness and social responsibility among its students.  While the college earned a spot as Princeton Review’s “College With a Conscience,” participation in student-run organizations seems to be faltering. This brings to question how Pitzer students view social consciousness, and whether or not a decline in participation is due to apathetic students or the failure of organizations to be effective.

Lack of student input in decision-making at the college has been a common complaint. While there is a group of students who dedicate immeasurable time and energy to Student Senate, faculty committees and College Council, certain campus organizations are seriously wanting in turnout during meetings and events.

Hall councils and other campus life organizations are struggling to mobilize participation in certain activities. As fewer and fewer students give their time, the quality of self-government integral to Pitzer College loses a little bit of its legitimacy.

The Involvement Tower in Mead Hall, for instance, once embodied the core ideals of Pitzer as a self-governing, student-run institution. In the past couple of years, the I-Tower has had trouble with participation at meetings, community service and campus events, and for a time was missing the momentum that gave the tower its name. This semester, however, may be different.

“We’re on a better track than we were last semester,” said Isaac Speer (PZ, ’06), the Chief Coordinating Officer of I-Tower. This year, the residents completely restructured the tower’s organization and policies regarding residence admission. Regular attendance at the biweekly tower meetings is mandatory, and each floor has a representative responsible for gathering people for meetings and events.

 “If involvement is reactionary it is not sustainable,” said Max England (PZ, ’06), referring to the hate crime incident at CMC in Spring 2004. Though a huge student and faculty response succeeded in creating campus-wide open dialogue and discussion about the issue, many felt lied to, manipulated and outraged by the turn of events. Disillusioned, some students now feel the reasons to participate were harshly negated by this event, including participation through direct action, joining a committee, or regular attendance at meetings.

Some have argued that if decisions are going to be made, it is the responsibility of the students to show up and practice their democratic right to voice concern. “I think it’s that they’re content in their complacency, uninterested or they think they’re opinion doesn’t matter,” said Blake Russell (PZ, ’05), the Mead Hall Council Secretary. “If they’re upset with the way things are going, they should just show up to the meetings. There are only a few people to represent the entirety of Mead Hall.”

Motioning toward a Mead Hall mural of a broken Pitzer tree, Russell repeated its message: “silence killed the revolution.”

Yet for some reason, most people simply do not attend meetings, no matter how important. Flyers and emails, posters and door-to-door reminders are evidence that the information is out there, but what is lacking is a very fundamental element of democratic participation: simply the belief that participation is indeed worth the time and effort.

“It’s important to get students to believe in the process and to understand the power they have in that process,” Pitzer College President Laura Trombley said at a visit with Mead Hall residents. “Students may not realize how much power they have. Students built this college, they worked with faculty to create an environment of self-government. They helped clear the grounds for the buildings.”

Despite efforts toward convenient meeting times and places for open dialogue, some organizations struggle with membership and participation. At some point, repetitive e-mails, bold flyers, boxes of pizza, and dining hall stake-outs are not an effective way of luring students into the realm of participation. It is also up to student representatives, committee members and leaders of other organizations to commit toward mobilization of the non-active.

For one thing, “the meetings have to be structured so people feel they have a stake in it,” said Corey O’Malley (PZ, ’05). “I think you can blame the institution in the first place,” she added, referring to the responsibility of organizations to make sure as many people as possible participate.

England, who is also President of Mead Hall Council, explained that most organizations “don’t put themselves out there,” and communicate how new members can contribute. Representatives are responsible, he said, for motivating students by making themselves visible, rather than relying on impersonal methods. By doing so, student government representatives can get a much better idea of what students consider important. As a result, their votes and discussions can better represent the interests of the absent majority.

While diversity of opinion is essential to democratic discourse, it is often too time-consuming for many students to acquire the knowledge necessary to make a valuable contribution. It is the responsibility of organization leaders to show students that it takes a degree of personal initiative, motivation, and dedication to improve the Pitzer community. As England says, “It’s important to ‘be the change you want to see’ in the world, at Pitzer College.”