The fluff and puff of the Princeton experience bubble

Walking along the storied pathways of Princeton University, where intellectuals such as Albert Einstein, Adlai Stevenson, Woodrow Wilson and others once roamed, one cannot help but be imbued with that sense of intellectual consciousness that characterizes such a venerated institution of higher learning. Of course, that is what is generally thought. It is what I thought about Princeton, to some degree, before matriculating. However, to my dismay, Princeton (actually the undergraduate community) has reached a point of intellectual stagnation outside the classroom. It is almost taboo to carry on a conversation of moral consequence, although this changed temporarily in the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11. Some will be quick to point out that Princeton is teeming with dynamic student groups and eloquent intellectuals; however, they certainly are not the mainstream, but rather are the maligned few.

Instead of embracing intellectual conversation during meals, many students either wish to eat as quickly as possible, or simply wish to talk about anything unintellectual. The reasoning: there is enough learning and academic discussion in class. Princeton is a locus of scholars but unfortunately, scholarly interaction is avoided. Instead, there are specific student groups set up in response to this apathy towards moral or substantive discussion during meals (i.e. Paideia.) It certainly does not seem like Princeton University should be a place where one needs a special venue to pursue intellectual interaction with his/her classmates, but that is the reality.

Perhaps most students are propelled by a drive to become investment bankers rather than by a desire to learn or expand their horizons. At times, it seems as if students live in a bubble, not seeking to engage issues of greater importance. After Sept. 11, a plethora of discussions, lectures and films flooded the campus to spark some type of debate. Following the first two weeks after the horrendous terrorist attacks, life at the university was essentially back to normal. Discussions and lectures on the Middle East would come and go, and students stayed in their rooms. In fact there would be more retired persons than students in the audience at almost every Woodrow Wilson School lecture, with topics ranging from terrorism to civil rights (apparently trivial issues in the world of Princeton). We must ask ourselves why. It certainly is not the case that every Prince-ton student knows the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni. Then why are the lecture halls empty after class?

The undergraduate community continues to live in the fluff and puff Princeton bubble. Occasionally we will hear something about WROC, but undergraduates fail repeatedly to develop a worldly perspective beyond the scope of the university. Some (and only some students) may be able to engage issues of worker compensation in Princeton, but did anybody ever realize that millions of workers across this country have similar and even greater problems? The sense of idealism and desire for change that marks many student bodies across the nation is simply absent on this campus. Tables set up in Frist by student groups such as Amnesty International (Princeton's chapter), are simply passed by and considered on the fringe. Our most activist undergraduate group is dedicated to opposing terrorism — well congratulations. Larry Hamm was here this past weekend to speak on a sit-in he led to discourage Princeton from condoning apartheid in South Africa. If a sit-in happened today, we would not know what it was.

It could be that Princeton simply is not meant to be a meeting ground for intellectual reflection beyond ECO 102. Maybe, students are only supposed to go to class, sequester themselves in their rooms for intensive study and emerge every Thursday and Saturday night for a drinking binge, eventually developing into ideal specimens for Goldman Sachs and the like. If this is the state of the future leaders of this country, then certainly something needs to change. Wood-row Wilson, who influenced this university so much, desired Princeton to be in the service of this nation, to which Shapiro added "and in the service of all nations." Yet, if we do not understand the complexity of this nation, and moreover all nations, how are Princetonians going to fulfill this obligation? Today, students are disinclined to have a conversation of moral consequence at dinner, or attend a lecture on issues of worldly importance or seek to change the society we live in. Undergraduates at Princeton should not be apathetic to social change, but should embrace changes for the better. If Princeton students are truly going to serve this nation, and all nations, there's going to need to be an expansion of the intellectual consciousness on this campus beyond the classroom. Taufiq Rahim is from Vancouver, British Columbia. He can be reached at trahim@princeton.edu.