Where is the love?: A call to action for camaraderie

On a student panel I was on a few days ago, I was seated before three dozen impressionable young men, ranging from the ages of 11 to 15. After a few standard questions about college life — “What’s it like to live so far from home?” or “Do you really feel like an adult on campus?” — a young man raised his hand. He introduced himself before asking his question, “What is the sportsmanship like on campus?”

At first, I was puzzled. I knew that many of the young men listening to the panel were on the lacrosse team, so I wondered if perhaps he was inquiring as to whether or not there was a great deal of support for Princeton sports teams. When we asked him to clarify his question, he said, “I mean…how do people support each other?”

I exchanged glances with the other three students on the panel and all-knowing smirks crossed our faces. These smirks, unfortunately, had a haunting backstory to them, of which we were attempting to conceal from these impressionable young men. But after a moment of hesitation and encouragement to “be honest,” we answered the question. And the response was not particularly positive.

As blasphemous as this may sound, it is perhaps most striking that our views on Princeton’s “sportsmanship” were negative.

There are several student organizations on campus dedicated to fostering a welcoming environment for all students. Despite these groups, many students have taken notice of how their fellow students reacted to their emotions during the course of the last two weeks. No school is perfect (no, not even Princeton) and as many students and faculty may have noticed, we have a lot of work to do. Yes, it is our job as students to do this work, because who else will do it?

The quite obvious example of the needed work is exemplified by the alleged “unintentionally offensive” Urban Congo. Many students responded to the former group’s incendiary acts with public outcry, ranging from Yik Yak posts to Facebook statuses. Several students even reported their sentiments to Buzzfeed.

As appropriate as these responses were — indeed, Urban Congo’s latest performance, among others, managed to be a mockery of “tribal” cultures, particularly those of Africa — many students responded to the responses. Most of these ranged from subtle indifference to outright lambasting of these “complainers.” However, the number of students who had no response is perhaps the most pervasive and personally, the most unsettling.

Lack of camaraderie on Princeton’s campus transcends the issues of the last couple of weeks. We sing “Old Nassau” at Pre-rade, and many students sport Princeton sweatshirts on a regular basis. Many cheered when the women’s varsity basketball team ascended ranks. But this is not all that makes camaraderie. What truly creates the atmosphere sung of in songs like “Old Nassau” is empathy for one’s fellow students. In saying this, I do not implore that all students should agree on every issue; this is not only unrealistic, but it is also discouraging of dialogue between students. However, students should not feel that their opinions — ranging from those of Big Sean’s forthcoming performance to the insensitivity of the Urban Congo performance — are unworthy of discussion.

At times, this lack of camaraderie may even cause students to feel unsafe on campus. When students perceive that few of their peers understand — or even want to understand — how it feels to be a minority on campus, does this not impact how we interact with one another? Are we less likely to consider the person we pass on the sidewalk as a potential friend? Do we place anonymous Yik Yak posts with racial epithets onto the faces of the Princeton students we pass by? Do these Yaks become potential threats to us?

These questions and more may have been asked by several students on campus in the past few days and indeed, such an atmosphere does not resemble one of camaraderie. Perhaps camaraderie is not what Princeton students are expecting. After all, is life outside the Orange Bubble filled with camaraderie at all? The answer is probably no, and one can look at the nightly news to confirm this. However, the status quo does not excuse us from striving for empathy among students. Constantly, we are reminded that we are future leaders and that among us walk future presidents. If we do not encourage an atmosphere of camaraderie on Princeton’s campus, what does this say about the future state of this nation and the world?

Imani Thornton is a freshman fromMatteson, Ill. She can be contacted at it4@princeton.edu.