UConn needs community, it’s now or never 

Throughout this column, and with the Editorial Board, I’ve repeatedly tried to show the systemic issues that plague the UConn community because of its resistant and backward administration. Hopefully, understanding the issues and the myriad of ways they affect us, no matter who we are, helps make it clear why we must do something about them. If you don’t personally care about the environment, housing, demilitarization, or any of the other things that activists on this campus usually advocate for, that’s fine. I may disagree with you, but that’s not really what’s important right now. What underlies all these issues is a lack of accountability, and that is negatively affecting all students through austerity policies and budget cuts that will damage the quality of the education we receive. I’ve talked about all of this before, but today I want to talk about why students need to come together to do something about it. Despite all the factors that prevent us from doing so — systemically, culturally, or otherwise — UConn’s sense of community and people’s responsibility towards improving it must change. 

One of the sentiments I’ve heard all over the place is that students don’t want to be a part of things as much as they used to. I do not want to be misconstrued as claiming this to be the fault of the individual, but rather a symptom of broader cultural contexts that affect how we interact here. For starters, I’ve written before in this column about the decreasing presence of social capital, a measure of social connectedness, here in America. Plus, there are the still-present effects of COVID and all of the damage it did to lively communities at colleges across the country. Organizations that had consistent, long-term memberships but lost continued leadership or shut down because of COVID leaves us, now, in a place of rebuilding. Even if it is 2024, there is still work that needs to be done to remake a campus culture that is more active and connected.  

As for this idea of responsibility to the greater community, it’s something that I’ve reckoned with for a while here. Historically, colleges are the place for protest and demanding better from the institutions that govern us, whether it be in the 1960s, 70s, or even nowadays across the country. So, what separates us from other colleges? What makes a “protest school”? Once again, I see it as part of a larger issue. For starters, the structure of college isn’t meant for kids to be able to always be able to participate in such movements. We have classes, exams, and grades to keep up, and for most people that’s enough trouble by itself. As I talk to my friends — the majority of whom are from immigrant backgrounds — and we all relate to the expectation from our families to focus on our degree and the importance of succeeding in college. There is some degree of privilege necessary to devote and risk yourself in pursuance of change. 

Still, all of this is not an excuse to why campus culture is suffering at UConn, but to acknowledge the factors that play into campus culture here. It is important that regardless of the factors that limit our ability, we continue to make our voices heard to demand better from UConn and other structures of power. In terms of global issues, we exist at a crucial junction in history that demands our action. The health of our world has reached the point of no return and as students, our voices have the potential to lead change. On a local level, we must act for each other’s sake. We must care about the broader UConn community enough to do something about the issues we see within the institution. We must see the problems that affect others as being a matter of personal importance to ourselves as well. We have more power and opportunity to personally make a change here, within this community, in a very short four years than we may have for the entire rest of our lives. Despite what much of the largely individualist American culture may say, I agree with the statement that we owe each other what we can give. Right now, UConn needs a better sense of community.