Presidential Perspectives

Hey Tartans,

Hope all is well in midterm land! If not, don’t worry — spring break is almost here.

This week was fairly quiet for Adi and myself as we regrouped and prepared for the last 10 weeks of our terms in office. We’ve still got a pretty full slate, and we’ll report the play-by-play as the weeks progress.

I’d like to explain to you the general mentality we have applied throughout this year as your student body president and vice president. Our campaign focused on practical change, and we have certainly accomplished a lot of that. As we started taking steps, we realized that in order to make changes that will positively affect the day-to-day activities of students at Carnegie Mellon, we must reach out and collaborate both with other students and with faculty and staff; these people can help create change and will be here long enough to see the lasting effects. Collaboration is the overarching idea behind much of our actions in office.

Truth be told, there’s nothing Adi and I do that any other ambitious student couldn’t. The main obstacle inhibiting those other ambitious students is the lack of communication we sometimes experience on campus. As President Cohon put it two Fridays ago at the Presidents’ Dinner Forum, sometimes we see different “fiefdoms” acting to progress their own interests, but what we lose track of is that, quite often, those fiefdoms want similar things. In my opinion, this problem results from the great individualism we see on this campus, which, while by no means a negative factor, can lead to somewhat of a segregated community.

We are all driven to think for ourselves and outside of the box that we see others trapped within. Great things come from individuals outside the box. But could even greater things come from those individuals if the gaps between them were bridged, and they were able to meet and exchange ideas? Absolutely. But, how do we accomplish such a task? I haven’t a clue.
Even though I don’t have the answer right now, that doesn’t mean one doesn’t exist. I believe that to make this school a better place for all of us, we must allow ourselves to search for an answer rather than just assume that because there isn’t one already, we shouldn’t strive to find it. This is the challenge Adi and I have faced all year, and this is the challenge I want to bestow upon our successors and upon you.

Anyhow, enough with the philosophy. Until next week, remember that you can always reach me at cmu5@cmu.edu. Good luck!