Recently, questions have been raised, both at the national level and significantly closer to home, about institutional reform. While the reforms themselves are important and a necessary part of what drives reformers, we must ask ourselves the following: what is the most effective and efficient way to bring about change within our institutions, both in our nation and in the student life at our university?
Despite popular belief in our current age of technology, anonymous online petitions and long-winded complaints on social media are not the ways to bring about reform. Not only does this harm the potentially offending person or institution, but it also reflects poorly on the anonymous reformer. Besides the complete lack of open communication of your concerns, anonymity won’t convince anyone that you’re serious about reforming your institution.
All of this is to say that a desire for improvement is very human. It often stems from a great love for the thing that you wish to reform.
Our own nation was born precisely because our ancestors wouldn’t tolerate religious persecution, and our Founding Fathers did not want a distant tyrannical king to govern them. The desire to fight for the betterment of your surroundings is a reflection of their inherent goodness.
But no successful reform movement is anonymous. In claiming the title of reformer, one must be willing to put oneself out there and show some good, old-fashioned courage.
G.K. Chesterton calls the man who is loyal to the world, in spite of its brokenness, “the cosmic patriot.” He says in his famous treatise “Orthodoxy,” “Men did not love Rome because she was great. She was great because they had loved her.” Likewise, we do not love UD because she is great. UD has become great because we have loved her.
So be like Martin Luther (don’t be a heretic, though), and post your concerns about UD throughout Braniff. Write a scathing article for the newspaper. Collect signatures for a petition when you’re talking to people at the Capp Bar. Finally, don’t lose sight of the fact that you’re fighting to preserve the thing you love.
Emma Judge is a senior history major.