Last Friday’s editorial “Left of Center” raises interesting questions about how Wesleyan should attempt to market itself to the American media and public. However, I disagree with the editorial’s proposed solution to these questions. In my view, the suggestion that Wesleyan should emphasize the “liberal” in “liberal arts” as a means of attracting positive publicity is an unnecessary and a potentially harmful marketing strategy.
First of all, Wesleyan’s liberal tendencies are hardly a secret. For example, The Princeton Review features Wesleyan on the following top 20 lists: “Stu-dents Ignore God on a Regular Basis,” “Reefer Madness,” “Stu -dents Most Nostalgic for Bill Clinton,” and (my personal fvorite) “Birkenstock-Wearing, Tree-Hugging, Clove-Smoking Vegetarians.”
As far as my own personal experiences go, when I was applying to Wesleyan, one of the most common remarks I heard when talking to friends or acquaintances was something along the lines of, “Isn’t that school really liberal?” In other words, I have a hard time believing Wesleyan needs to do anything more to emphasize its liberal reputation since it’s already out there and has quite a life of its own.
Secondly, I dispute the editorial’s implied premise that being “left of center” is somehow inherently good or desirable. As hard as it may be to tell at Wesleyan sometimes, not all Americans are cultural or political liberals. If Wesleyan truly embraces diversity, then it should not pursue a marketing strategy that alienates half of the American populace. As a relatively conservative student who just transferred to Wesleyan this year, one of my greatest disappointments upon arriving was the conspicuous lack of visible conservative student groups. Whether or not you agree with conservative beliefs or ideology, I think we can all agree that diversity of opinion leads to a richer discourse, something that a liberal arts school should seek to promote.
Rather than emphasizing Wesleyan’s already well-publicized “left of center” culture, the administration should stick to academics and campus diversity as the two key selling points, as these are two qualities that all students benefit from.
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