Killing the Apathy Bug

In recent months, this page has featured several editorials about the lack of political motivation on campus, most of them arguing that a general air of apathy hangs over this place like a thick fog. But even more troubling than the state of political activism at Harvard is the sensation that this trend of apathy has begun, ever so insidiously, to creep into our classrooms.

I don't believe that anyone is to blame for this feeling, but simply that steps must be taken to correct it.

A friend tells me of a foreign language section in which students can barely bring themselves to do more than mumble. Another person I know recently showed up for an evening math section and wound up with a private tutorial; the original eight students had, throughout the semester, finally dwindled to one.

While it is easy to attribute a lack of interest to students who repeatedly fail to show up for section, what can be said about those who remain quiet throughout the semester?

One explanation with which I can identify is shyness: Finding the right words and the right time to say them can be intimidating, especially in the presence of other highly articulate students. And sometimes, it's a better learning experience to listen than to speak.

But what about a Core Moral Reasoning class in which the same group of students (all men, interestingly) lead the discussion every time? Or reports of concentration tutorials in which everyone--even the instructor--seems just to be going through the motions? Though such sections are the exception rather than the norm, it is troubling that they exist at all.

My experiences with the "apathy bug," thankfully, have been less extreme. All of my sections have had interesting, thoughtful people in them, and I've had a few TFs whose efforts at rallying students to participate were outstanding. Yet I have overheard and participated in too many conversations about "my annoying core class" or "my section with 10-minute silences." (I hope this last remark is an exaggeration.) This intellectual apathy has probably led many people, at some point in their studies here, to ask themselves: Is this really Harvard?

If you have ever found yourself pondering this question, it might be best to take a step back and realize that Harvard truly does have an exceptional faculty and student population, as well as some of the best educational resources in this country. As for sections which fail to capture our interest, we should do our to best to make these sections interesting. This is hard for one person to do on his own, but if everyone catches on to a current of interest in the room--in the same way that people seem to catch on to apathy--then a whole network of opportunities for communication opens up. That's the pleasure of being at Harvard: Everyone has something interesting to say, but only if we encourage each other to say whatever is on our minds.

Perhaps this is all too idealistic, but I don't think cynicism is any more flattering to our college than apathy. Maybe the answer is to pretend that it's Orientation Week all over again, and we can all look at our educational opportunities here with less jaded, more grateful eyes.