As a double Jumbo, I feel as though I've gotten a pretty good handle on the student mentality here at Tufts in the past five years. And I've come to one overwhelming opinion - we whine a lot at this school. In fact, I've seen two-year-olds that whine less then we do. Now don't get me wrong, I'm the first to admit that Tufts has its share of issues, and by no means am I trying to trivialize fellow students concerns regarding such issues as racial intolerance, diversity, or graduate student stipends.
However, I have to draw the line when (for example) we start crying about how bad the exhaust from the shuttle smells. I've got news for you, folks: air that is blown out the back of pretty much anything tends to stink. Get used to it.
And can we please stop crying about the graduation speaker for this year? I realize that the Omidyars couldn't possibly measure up to the likes of *NSYNC or Britney Spears. But I would wager that they might have something just a little more substantial to say than Bill Cosby and his ramblings two years ago. Besides, I can guarantee that no matter how famous the speaker or how exciting the speech, you seniors will forget every word of it in a year. Trust me. I graduated last year. (And I won't even bring up the fact that the Omidyars only gave $10 million to this school)
Also, the next person who starts to whine to me about the quality of food at Dewick is going to get a swift kick in the gut. Firstly, has anyone ever tasted the food at other schools? It tastes pretty much as bad as the exhaust from the shuttle smells. Secondly, there are people out there who can barely afford a meal and we have the gall to complain about getting Aztec Rubbed chicken twice in a week? Give me a break people! Suck it up and eat the damn chicken. Or don't eat at all. Just don't whine about it.
It seems that between all of our whining, crying, and moaning, we have forgotten just how great this school is. I have yet to visit a campus that can compare with the beauty of the academic quad in the spring. Buildings & Grounds, though virtually unappreciated, does an absolutely stellar job of turning our campus into a floral paradise.
As much as we may lament the inefficiency or sluggishness of the administration here, don't tell me that they aren't listening. We wanted later dining hours - we got them. We wanted another dorm - we're getting it. Did you know that President Bacow even invites every senior to his house for dinner over the course of the year?
Have you been to Dowling Hall? Now don't tell me that the administration didn't go above and beyond in constructing that building. And what about Tisch Library? Is it perfect? No. But it's damn near close. Our dining halls are exquisite; our professors: outstanding; our administrators: hard working; our health-service: caring; our sports teams: dominant.
To put it bluntly, we've got a top-rate school. So to all the administrators, grounds-keepers, professors, dining hall workers, health-service staff, coaches, janitors, and every other employee: thank you. And please know that if we do happen to whine about ridiculous and petty things, its only because thanks to your hard work, there is nothing left to whine about.
Ian Cohen is a candidate for a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering.
