Among all the articles over the last few weeks and even over the summer, respect for one another seems entirely absent from many. I’m certainly not speaking about every editorial that has been written, but I have seen a large number of derogatory comments made recently. I don’t want to sound like anyone’s father, nor do I want to infringe on anyone’s right to say what they feel, but I think we should all work on expressing our ideas with tact.
Whether we are expressing our ideas about acronyms at RPI, issues about the Faculty Senate dispute, or just voicing our opinions, we need to do so with more than a minimal level of savoir faire. Just like our neighborhoods at home and classes we attended in high school, we are all part of a larger community. We have been given the privilege of having a school newspaper and many outlets to explain our thoughts and feelings, but along with those privileges we have been given responsibility. We should all be aware of our actions, and how those may reflect upon us. There are outside forces of media that will arrive and begin to ask questions as soon as they sniff out a juicy story. We must be cognisant that our comments and thoughts will be seen by others, not just our peers. We should avoid using slang like RIBS, as it is demeaning to those who it is said about, and demeaning to those who use it. For the guys: yes, we go to an engineering school, and yes, there are not as many girls as at other institutions, but does it help to speak with an air of male chauvinism? I don’t really believe so.
College is time to build our character, and we should all emerge as better individuals than when we began. We have the opportunity to make mistakes, but we should learn from them. We have the opportunity to deal with conflict, and should learn how to best deal with it. But most importantly, we should learn to respect each other, even if our interests, goals, and ideals are different. Like any other institution, there are people here who lack a certain amount of social acumen, but that does not give us the right to disrespect anyone. I absolutely don’t want anyone to think I’m on my high horse and that I’ve never done this, as I have in the past, but I actively try to stay as well reserved as I can, and that’s all I ask of my peers.
While I can write a whole article about how we should be more respectful to each other, I honestly believe we are doing a great job compared to any other institution. However, as a top-tier school, we need to constantly challenge ourselves and examine our decisions with critical thinking. We all possess the ability to dissect a situation and form our own thoughts and ideas, but those who will make change are those who are able to express their thoughts both tactfully and respectfully. This is certainly important in the diverse multi-cultural and multi-national working environment we will be participating in after graduation. As Jim Collins said in his book, Good to Great, “good is the enemy of great.” We must be constantly challenging ourselves and never settling for mediocrity.
