Coe always seems to arrange Fall Break during the peak of the fall colors. Right now I am sitting in a friend's dorm away from Coe, doing some P Chem homework, and contemplating some issues that were brought up at Coe literally the day I left...
For those of you who don't know, Coe's e-mail systems is probably the greatest thing Coe has to offer in terms of internet. It's fast and pretty reliable. I've heard of people complaining about how it doesn't allow some e-mails in or out from time to time... but honestly, I'm one of those people who can't really complain.
There is one issue, though...
Coe's e-mail system allows you to send mass e-mails, or an e-mail out to the entire student body. Most students utilize this by advertising if they lost an ID, a watch, a wallet, etc, or advertize if an events is coming up (which, that's REALLY handy for when you are done with homework and bored out of your mind... something I've never encountered while I've been in college, but I've heard it's useful for those who have!).
But from time to time... you'll get this one e-mail... and will have some touchy subject that could be left alone... but then it stirs up some controversy and unrest in one person mind who reads it... and next thing you know, there's another mass e-mail in response to that controversial e-mail- and it contains some of their own, opinionated, controversial thoughts.... and then someone else will read it....
... and then the cycle continues, and next thing you know: it's a mass e-mail war!!
This happens many times during the school year, and in some cases, it's fun to watch, and in other cases, it just gets plain annoying to have your e-mail box flooded with all these thoughts not pertaining to you personally.
Well, needless to say, this year: that first pissed-off person was me.
The Cosmos-- our school newspaper-- has started a section of the newspaper called "The Minority Corner" at the request of a group of minority students on campus who have felt underrepresented. Now, I don't consider myself racially a minority, but some people do. If I had to think about it and decide, perhaps I'm a minority because I'm amongst barely a handful of Muslim students on campus. However, I never felt a burden to bear at Coe because of it. Yes, at times, especially during Ramadan, I feel frustrated about certain things (like having to keep up with the pace when my body is telling me to slow down... for 30 days *rolling eyes*).
But all in all, being completely honest-- I've felt really appreciated for coming to Coe, and really safe. I felt that having something about myself that was different was cherished by others, that they appreciated what I had brought to the table. Over my four years at Coe, I only had one person who made me feel discriminated against becase I was Muslim; and even then, they are considered an ignorant, inconsiderate *bleep!* on campus, so it didn't get to me too personally. However, most students I have talked to on campus have felt pretty sheltered and suppported. Thus, it made me wonder why this group felt that they were being put through struggles at this college...?
Needless to say, there was a mass e-mail sent out by one girl in particular accusing the Cosmos of editing her article and for people not caring about racial issues on campus. Yes, the pissed off person was me, and I wrote back defending my college of its stance on creating opportunities for minorities and for embracing different cultures. For crying out loud, I was even on the scholarship committees for the Diversity Scholarship for the past two years! I didn't know why some students felt there was a "problem".
Let's cut to the end: 39 e-mails were sent out in response to this issue. That is more than I have ever counted in a 24-hour period before. I guess it's good that students are talking about this issue... yet, as a person who never really fit anywhere to begin with -- and not in a bad way, mind you-- it made me worried that about HOW people chose their words and how something that I felt wasn't an issue was made into an issue.
So should mass e-mails be left to do things like this? Should we be allowed to exude our opinion upon everyone because we have the means at hand. My answer is yes. There's freedom of speech occuring in my inbox, and it's forcing me to read 39 opinions of an issue that I hadn't thought existed. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't... but point being that in a country where, to quote a politician, "people are exchanging freedoms for the promise of security", I think we need to keep this freedom of speech going as long as possible... even if it is clogging up my inbox. :-)
Still... I just wish the instigators of this debate on campus would have chosen more constructive words!!
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