Editorial: How to build college spirit

Upon their introduction in September 2007, the University promoted the four-year residential colleges on the grounds that they would unite undergraduates from all four classes in vibrant and cohesive communities. Following the long-established model of other universities, most notably Yale, the University financed new renovations to dormitories and residential college facilities, appointed staff members to oversee student programming and redoubled the institutional emphasis on intra-college spirit and camaraderie. As this paper reported at the time, such changes sought to increase social, cultural, intellectual, recreational and civic participation not only among newly integrated upperclassmen but also within the college communities overall.

With the five-year anniversary of this system approaching next fall, it is a good time to assess the extent to which these goals have been met and to see where changes must still be made. Admittedly, the success of the residential college system has been mixed. Although Whitman College has succeeded in creating a strong sense of community and incorporating upperclassmen into the college, the other residential colleges haven’t achieved the same dynamic. Part of this difference may be a product of Whitman’s comparatively young age and the emphasis placed on making it a model for the other four-year colleges. Even if there are intrinsic differences between the Colleges — such as having isolated buildings versus one cohesive physical structure — there are still things that Whitman does that other colleges should imitate. To that end, we think it advisable for all colleges to adopt a set of best practices aimed at promoting a greater sense of community to afford all undergraduates an equal experience during their first two years on campus.

Some of these practices will be fairly easy to implement. Colleges can increase the number of college-only nights in the dining hall, offering special food and entertainment that will unite the community. Although these nights can be an annoyance to students from other colleges, who are blocked out of a given dining option that night, the inconvenience can be limited by scheduling such nights at times when they wouldn’t disrupt too many students, like Friday nights. More substantively, colleges should also move away from just giving away gear or having food-oriented study breaks and, instead, plan bigger events like the Whitman Olympics. Unlike traditional study breaks, which can often serve as take-out opportunities for snacks and T-shirts, these larger events promise to unite various groups from throughout the college in competition and fun.

Residential colleges can also be improved through continued efforts to promote a tight-knit environment and strong college culture. More involved college masters, like Harvey Rosen or Jeff Nunokawa, can greatly improve this culture, but so can measures like picking a college mascot or having a more robust student college council. When taken together, all these practices are geared toward the same goal — making residential colleges an appealing source of fun and camaraderie for undergraduates. The University has already seen glimpses of the colleges’ promise; implementing these changes will help realize this potential in the next five years and beyond.