Campus needs a renaissance

Dear Dr. Brehm,\nDon't worry about making friends once you get to Bloomington. Just about everyone has something they think you need to know, and I've been given lists of important issues to bring to your attention. \nFunny … no one seemed this interested when I was writing about national politics. It just goes to show that when you poke sacred cows, they start to moo.\nAnd moo they did. You ought to know, Madame Chancellor, that your arrival is wildly anticipated. A new leader for this campus means more to us than just your name on the University Web site. It seems people expect you to bring about a revival of sorts. New concerns and cries for help are pushing out of the ground like earthworms after a spring rain. Everyone with an investment in the University has pretty high expectations for you, Dr. Brehm. I just thought you should know.\nRebuilding the Academic Community\nI just returned from the latest in our fabulous Patten Lecture series. I'm sure you're familiar with this 60-year-old program that brings famous men and women of letters to little old Bloomington. Patten lecturers usually give a few talks, attend classes in their area of specialization and buddy up with faculty and a few lucky students. Past guests have included such superstars as Noam Chomsky and Toni Morrison.\nThis week's luminary is Catherine Stimpson, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Science and a university professor at New York University. She's one of those rare but real public intellectuals, and has come to Bloomington to discuss the nature of genius. Stimpson is known as an articulate speaker and a sensitive writer. She's one of those trailblazers who's attracted a devoted following in the academic world. She's kind of a David Bowie of the arts and letters. \nAll of which led me to wonder, as I listened to Stimpson speak, why the Fine Arts Auditorium was only half full. Surely, for such a star, we could have managed more than a sparse showing. \nStill more troubling was the fact that of the thousands of undergraduates on this campus, only about 10 showed up. Looking around at the empty seats, I realized that it was the undergraduates -- the real blood and bones of the University -- who were absent. \nMy mother likes to remind me about the importance of showing up for special events like this. "It's just like when I came over for Founders Day, and not one of your friends was taking his family to the ceremony," she said. "These things are your culture, Duncan. You know, civilization! And if nobody shows up … then where are you? These ceremonies, rituals, events … they're important."\nWith my mom's words echoing in my ears, I couldn't help but worry that undergraduates have stopped showing up. I'm not just nervous about the Patten Lectures, although it's too bad so many people miss out on a program that brings the world to Bloomington, of all places. \nA lot of undergrads don't show up at the symphony, the IU Art Museum, or the Lilly Library … even though our campus is famous for all three. Sometimes, it seems like showing up to class is a bit much to ask. \nOf course, there's enough blame to go around. A healthy dose of ivory-tower-attitude infects the campus … We've all had that one professor whose shock seethed out of his pores upon learning that no, undergrads don't turn their brains off between orientation and graduation. He's the one who thinks of himself as a gate-keeper, whose task is to protect his academic discipline from our careless, grubby grasp. Needless to say, this attitude doesn't encourage students to embrace the intellectual culture of the campus. \nBut we are the ones who don't show up. Come on, kids! Where's the intellectual curiosity? You know, that thing that's fueling your passion to learn about the world around you. Where are the future philosophers and research scientists? The artists and writers? Not in the museums, and certainly not attending the Patten Lectures. \n"But Duncan, we don't have time for all of that!"\nOK, that's what I'll tell the staff at Kilroy's when no one shows up there this weekend. \n"Sorry, they're all home hitting the books." My concern is, Dr. Brehm, that we're not living up to our campus.\nWe've surrounded ourselves with treasures, built palatial concert halls and dragged Stimpson down from New York City. For every exception, like bell hooks and Peter Jennings, there are hundreds of half-empty galleries, audiences and special events. Undergraduates, who are the backbone and the majority of this University community, aren't showing up. \nIf my mom is right, Dr. Brehm, that means the culture of the academy is in trouble. \nBloomington's campus needs a renaissance badly, and maybe you're just the one to kick it off.