At some point during today’s Danforth sit, I remembered the larger world — a dysfunctional world that has not experienced Danforth cookies — outside my everyday life, neatly bordered by a cemetery and river. I then recalled my dust-gathering college guide that once cited a student’s complaint about the apathy and self-absorption that pervades UR.

I can see why observers might condemn us, especially if they observe my heavily pre-med hall. I’m sure most of my friends could provide a better analysis of their NCAA tournament brackets than the primary election season. And a few weeks ago, a diversity forum reacted to students’ diversity apathy, which they exemplified with the low turnout at educational diversity events.
Despite our faults, I think there is an energy on campus that merely requires the right trigger to motivate. Recent challenges have certainly stirred commotion. Students communicated their dissatisfaction with the new meal plan system on Facebook and a petition, a protest that evolved into a Students’ Association memo that opposed its implementation. A barrage of philosophical discussion followed Gandhi’s awry comments and resignation, concluding when Gandhi explained himself to students at a special forum. Additionally, alternative plans for D-Day are in the making as students and alumni respond to the recent blow to this school’s long-held tradition.

It’s unfair to so drastically underline the student body’s spirit as apathetic — while we may not storm the streets in protest over the White House’s policies, we do react and respond to what we find significant, even if it is limited to campus matters.