Looking up: Dreaming a new Drew

Administrators and students alike have recently expressed a need for change in the campus culture at Drew University.

University President Bob Weisbuch stressed that the Drew community is already full of positive things, and all we need is a simple  adjustment.

“We don’t have to invent anything out of thin air,” Weisbuch said. “All the good stuff is already here.”

He explained he wants students to take the initiative in making changes on campus. “I think students are the experts,” he said, echoing his State of the University Address earlier in the year. “I don’t want to over-direct.”

Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Jonathan Levin also stressed student involvement. “I have ideas. Do my ideas matter? Not as much as students’ ideas,” he said. “Any top-down approach…will not change the culture,” he said.

Weisbuch, however, did provide a basic outline for his ideal image of Drew. He hopes to see three things.

“I’d want it to be intellectually exciting and engaged,” he said, as well as “bristling with ideas and exciting and alive.”

The second thing he hopes for Drew is for it to be a campus that is “ethically wise… a lived out social idealism,” he said.

Weisbuch mentioned several recent student nitiatives that were brought to him at his open hour. He explained that several students approached him proposing to hold a benefit for the students whose cars were vandalized during Halloween. He also brought up two students who hope to reopen The Space next semester as a place to grab food late at night, but also want to replace The Space’s usual fried food with healthier options. 

He said such initiatives contribute to a general feeling of “Drew proud,” and went on to say that these students are “turning lemons into lemonade.”

Student Government Association Hoyt Senator Sharif Elzein (’10), one of the key players in the benefit, explained the event will feature a music trading forum, a hookah lounge, a DJ, a band, an arcade selection and possibly a rap artist. According to Elzein, Weisbuch donated $500 to help organize the event.

The event will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 9. It will begin at 12 a.m. and end at 2 a.m. in the University Center Lounge. According to SGA Riker Senator Chris Sentmier (’12), Weisbuch is sponsoring the event, though it’s past the new quiet hours, because “it’s a responsible and community event.” He called the event “diametrically opposed” to the happenings of Halloween night.

The third prong of Weisbuch’s ideal Drew is fun. “I don’t think fun is a dirty word,” he said. “We need more of it.” Weisbuch stressed responsibility in fun, the growth of new Drew traditions and strong friendships. He hopes that the new University Center will be a “spirit lifter” that will give way to more fun on campus.

Weisbuch stressed the move to a more positive campus life will take time and discussion. “That’s why we have a process—because nobody has a monopoly on good ideas,” he said.

Both Weisbuch and Levin explained that Drew’s forthcoming Honor Code will continue this process. Weisbuch said the Honor Code will define the “Drew way” of behaving as a document.

“[The Honor Code] comes from Bob’s experience as a student… Bob had an honor code,” Levin said.

Another issue on the Drew campus is a lack of communication. 

Elzein addressed a communication gap as a reason that students are not engaged on campus. “There’s no connection between clubs, the SGA, students…” He hopes to bring students to the upcoming benefit event by increasing communication. “We’re really trying to work on new avenues of communication,” he said. “If you engage people correctly, they will become engaged…give them a reason to want to be part of activities.”

Elzein noted that the SGA wants to put television sets in The Commons that will advertise information about upcoming events on campus. 

Elzein, a member of the Men’s Soccer team, also mentioned that the athletics on campus are not appealed to enough. “You have to engage athletics,” he said.

Levin addressed the importance of campus communication. “This conversation we’ve been having has been great…most of what I’m hearing is very positive.”

Weisbuch said student input to Student Activities is necessary to design the types of campus events that students want to attend. “My idea of an enjoyable evening is probably not yours,” he said.

Elzein agreed and said an issue of responsibility is present. “We would be a much happier campus if freshmen weren’t constantly in trouble…if there was a situation where students understood what was going to happen to them.” He said, “Alcohol is not something that should be shunned, [but we need to] teach [students] the repercussions of their actions.”

Levin said that the issue is two pronged—students have a tendency to externalize the problem and they need to ask themselves what their role in the situation is.

SGA President Lenora Willis (’11) is unsure of how to change the apathy at Drew. “I don’t know how to change it. You can’t change an entire culture in a year,” she said. “We need to stop being so individualistic and think about the community.” She said the SGA is doing everything possible to promote campus involvement. “I mean, what more do you want us to do? [The senators] have office hours—they send out e-mails,” she said.