Leadership and study abroad

By the time we arrive on campus freshman fall, we’ve all been told that “the Senior Thesis is a defining aspect of the Princeton experience,” so much so that we just expect it will significantly affect our time here. We begin to understand the consequences the thesis has on the structure of our final year: most of us will only take three classes per semester senior year, and most clubs’ leadership terms are done by calendar year rather than academic year so that senior leaders’ terms end in the fall, allowing them to dedicate more time to the thesis. While I believe it’s important to allot sufficient time and energy to one’s thesis, and to make sacrifices in order to do so, I don’t think this necessarily means that clubs have to set leadership terms by calendar year just so no one is President during senior spring while finishing a thesis. This is not to say that no one can handle these two responsibilities simultaneously, but rather to point out that, to many individuals who may consider running for leadership, this is certainly a serious factor to consider.

In most clubs now, across a variety of interests, leadership positions are often held by those elected as sophomores to serve during sophomore spring and junior fall, or by those elected as juniors to serve during junior spring and senior fall. I believe clubs should restructure leadership terms to be in line with the academic year rather than the calendar year. The solution is rather simple; most large clubs have some form of ‘junior officer’ or the equivalent (e.g. Social Media Chair, Recruitment Chair, etc.), roles traditionally held by second-semester freshmen or some sophomores. Thus, rather than leave second-semester juniors without options for staying active in their club, clubs can give these lower-level positions to sophomores for their full sophomore year, and juniors would serve in the senior leadership positions for their duration of their entire junior year as well.

This also gives sophomores more time and a more natural pace to decide whether to study abroad junior year. There is a certain rhythm to each year where major things take up time and space such that we can’t often devote serious energy to planning that far ahead: moving in, settling into new classes, then all of a sudden it’s midterms, then Thanksgiving, then winter elections for many clubs. A similar rhythm exists in the spring. It would be better to have leadership elections at the beginning of the year (after pick-ups/new members have been welcomed by clubs). This leaves more unencumbered time open during the year, during which one can seriously consider things like study abroad. Having to choose between a leadership opportunity in an organization one is passionate about and study abroad is a major decision, one that requires serious reflection and can’t be made lightly. By realigning leadership terms, one can serve as a junior leader sophomore year, and still go abroad during the junior year if he or she should so chooses. And if one chooses to serve as a leader junior year, it won’t be with regret over not having studied abroad, because he or she will have had more opportunity for reflection and consultation before taking this decision.

If terms were aligned with the academic year, leaders of student organizations would have a much greater degree of flexibility in determining when to study abroad. If a club has the goal of developing sophomore leaders, the sophomores could serve during their entire year and also be free during both semesters of junior year to study abroad if they choose to do so. If one chooses not to go abroad, one can serve in a more senior role, without that bleeding over into senior fall when the thesis process begins. This is better both for juniors and seniors, who can re-evaluate their priorities regarding leadership and studying abroad after each summer, and don’t need to worry about obligations carrying over to the next year.

By better accommodating both leadership and study abroad into more students’ lives, Princeton can more fully live up to its stated goals of service and international exposure. This simple change can easily be affected across a wide variety of campus-wide organizations, as there would only be one adjustment year during which leadership terms would be shortened or lengthened. If we are truly to be a community of globally-minded students with an eye toward serving others, we need to encourage the development of both these faculties, rather than pitting one against the other.

Ryan Dukeman is a sophomore from Westwood, Mass. He can be reached at rdukeman@princeton.edu.