Given that I didn’t always feel at home, even in my small town, Wesleyan was the perfect fit for me. Students just like me filled Freeman, Usdan, and SciLi. Everyone wanted to try new things and change the world. During orientation, WesDEF (Wesleyan Diversity Education Facilitators) drew my attention toward campus sentiment by facilitating discussions on topics of social justice. Later in the semester, I joined WesDEF to lead new and intriguing campus-wide dialogues on topics ranging from race and ethnicity to sexuality and gender. As a WesDEF, it was hard to wrap my head around how few students attended our events. I began to ask myself, “If Wesleyan was really so perfect, if we’ve all agreed to be open, then why do we need WesDEF or other programs?”
Dinner-table discussions among students at Wesleyan seem perfect; everyone agrees for the most part and shares the same ideas. On topics of liberalism, for example, the majority of students support Obama and fight for women’s rights and sexual freedom. I often find myself in one-sided discussions, as the campus seems to preach only liberalism and an overwhelming sense of acceptance.
I have observed how Wesleyan students love to talk about gender and sexuality, but many veer away from religion. Even off-campus topics tend to attract more interest than on-campus issues. For example, the Occupy Movement gathered hundreds of students in protest against the mistakes of the one percent. While the persistence of this movement should not be dismissed, students’ willingness to discuss internal issues is incongruously low. These pertinent discussions only really exist outside of Wesleyan, while on-campus issues project a single-minded attitude. Ongoing issues of political, religious, and ethnic diversity and identity at Wesleyan are not often discussed.
Where are the conservatives, the opposition? On such a diverse campus, with students from all different backgrounds, someone must have an alternate view. One word that really came to mind was “groupthink.” Definition: the propensity for members of a group to make decisions without discussing counter arguments, to think as one cohesive unit. Synonyms: Wesleyan. Despite the stereotype of openness, Wesleyan sometimes becomes closed.
Out of many examples, the overall attitude toward religion on campus exemplifies groupthink. Wesleyan’s paradoxical attitude toward worship contradicts the openness of the campus, and organized religion especially takes a hit from the student body. As a member of the Jewish community, I was repeatedly asked: “Why are you attending Rosh Hashonah services?” “Why are you practicing reading Torah?” The inquirer always expects some well-thought-out answer to justify my attendance. I almost always reply, “Because I like to?”
While I can’t speak for all religious groups on campus, I’ve noticed that negativity toward religious groups as a whole sometimes arises, as if any form of organized religion is evangelical in nature and aims to forcefully proselytize Wesleyan.
The Wesleyan student body’s response to religion is merely one small example which contrasts an overwhelmingly liberal atmosphere. Wesleyan’s strong activist edge provides many captivating movements for students. However, groupthink often takes over. Last spring, Wesleyan was honored with the visit of Supreme Court Justice Scalia. While many students attended his speech, others protested his mere presence on campus. I was astonished by the contradictions of free speech toward a man of such stature, despite his conservative interpretations of law.
After taking a step back, I’ve come to the conclusion that Wesleyan isn’t as perfect and open as I first thought. It’s not the lack of WesDEF programming and facilitations, but the lack of student attendance produced from groupthink. Wesleyan’s liberal mindset silences the outsider’s opinion, the conservative’s viewpoint, and the pro-life student’s willingness to talk. Many students question why a conservative would ever choose to attend our school, since such a student would already be “anti-Wes” in nature. Wesleyan’s pride is so vibrant and outspoken that we often forget to listen and make room for those with whom we don’t always agree. We forget to challenge ourselves to be truly open.