Part 6: Hope for Human Rights

In “Hope for Human Rights”, author Kenneth Roth discusses how a large group of people can make a difference together. The author specifically discusses how the American people have the potential to make a difference with Human Rights.

This relates to Involvement and Impact. More specifically, I think this relates to the Residence on Fifth having a focus in community service. If we can show by example that doing “a little bit” to help the community feels good and makes a difference, our residents will want to contribute through community service as well. There is strength in numbers that we have in this dorm, and if we all work together we can make a difference in the community.

Part 5: Not Deterred

In “Not Deterred”, author Paxus Calta-Star discusses a student named Polina, who is an 18-year-old activist in Bulgaria. Polina is not deterred in pressuring the government to change its unfair policies towards its citizens. At the end of this section, Polina succeeds in protesting the government and helping create a democracy for her people.

This relates to Involvement and Impact. If we can show our residents that every student at CMU can have an impact in the community in some way, our residents will participate in activities and make the campus a better place. It is important to act as role models and show them that although immediate results may not come with everything they try, it is important to not give up.

I have cookies and banana bread I baked this morning in my room!! Come eat it! (425)

Part 6: "Curitiba" by Bill McKibben

In “Curitiba” by Bill McKibben, he describes the city of Curitiba, Brazil, which is remarkable for its “livability” and good infrastructure due to the great efforts of the city’s government. Curitiba does not turn away from its homeless people nor does it hide their existence; the city has a program where people receive food for collecting garbage. The mayor created a pedestrian mall to encourage business and avoid razing a historic central street, thus embodying the “cardinal dictate” of being economical and “recycling” buildings in Curitiba. Housing in the city is built by and assigned to families with lower icomes, helping to bring up everyone’s living conditions.n

The basis of the city planning principles in Curitiba is respect for all the city’s citizens, and an embracing of the responsibility that they all have to lift each other up to equal qualities of life. Instead of choosing the easy route of focusing on already developed areas to industrialize and neglecting the more problematic areas, the government of Curitiba elected a more egalitarian structure, giving support through many programs and preserving the culture of the city. The example of Curitiba shows us that communities that value each member as an integral part of the whole are the ones that flourish the most. Thus, this story shows how profoundly Curitibans “respect and ultimately value experiences and perspectives different from their own,” just like we want our residents to do as a Community Commitment goal. Part of what makes our first-year communities strong is the mutual commitment to embrace the unique experience of living in a dorm, and to be open to the different perspectives and backgrounds of other residents. Therefore, we encourage our freshmen to “understand the expectations that come with membership in our community, demanding respect, courtesy and civility in one’s dealings with others” and giving the same respect, courtesy and civility in return.

See you all in less than a day!! :)

Viv

Part 5: "Composing a Life Story" by Mary Catherine Bateson

Mary Catherine Bateson’s writing on “Composing a Life Story” describes many aspects of reflecting on one’s accomplishments and life path, and stresses the importance of embracing the random, unexpected nature of life. Overall she states that life is full of confusion and “interruptions”—losing jobs, moving for different reasons, finding one’s true passions. The important things to remember when confronting these upheavals is that the way we “interpret the continuities and discontinuities” (209) affects how easily and resiliently we will transition. Instead of trying to draw a straight-line path from elementary school to college to dream job, we should see that “discontinuity [is] a way of preparing for the next step,” and that fundamentally, the continuity in our lives is in what we value, our commitment to the people we love, and our true passions.

Overall, a big lesson of this account is for us as RAs to set examples for our residents by not glossing over the mistakes and missteps of life, since that would make it seem like big life decisions are easy and obvious, when they are actually exactly the opposite. When we struggle with choosing a major, it’s important to share that experience with freshmen who think they need to have their major and post-undergrad plans all figured out by the end of freshman year. When freshmen ask us what we’re going to do after college, it should be acceptable to say “I don’t know yet,” because they don’t necessarily look up to us because we have it all figured out; they look up to us for our honesty and our authenticity. This ties into the goal in Personal Development of having our residents “engage in meaningful exploration and expression of self-identity that contributes to their ability to articulate, reflect on and adapt their vision for self.”

Another lesson from this story that resonated with me was Bateson’s observation on the limitations for women:

 “It hasn’t been possible for women to separate their commitments [workplace, family] in quite the same way. It is one thing in the traditional nuclear family for the husband to go to the office and stop thinking about his family during the day because he has left his wife in charge.… What this has meant is that women have lived their lives experiencing multiple simultaneous demands from multiple directions.” (210)

What this societal pressure amounts to is limitations on the career options for women because there is a repeatedly stated requirement that they put family first, whereas men can de-emphasize family in relation to career and not be judged for such a decision. Thus we encounter the problem wherein only a tiny percentage of CEOs are women, women are underrepresented in academia and the higher levels of professional careers, and women are grossly underrepresented in politics. This first article [http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/] addresses the issue of society’s placing the burden of being Superwoman and taking care of a family and having a job all on women. This second article [http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/we-need-to-tell-girls-they-can-have-it-all-even-if-they-cant/259165/] addresses the psychological limitations on women because they are expected to have a family first, and to derive their value as a person from their family. Ambition is seen as “a dirty word” because for many women, they are told that it is diametrically opposed to the ultimate goal of having a family. It is in this way that the U.S. has created a culture of disempowerment of women through societal pressure, all of which are important and thought-provoking issues for discussion. 

Part 7: "The Real Rosa Parks" by Paul Rogat Loeb

Paul Rogat Loeb's essay about Rosa Parks interestingly brings up the idea of change coming about not from an individual act, but from the work of a group of people with a similar goal.  Loeb talks about the idea that we often place important figures in history on pedestals based on skewed stories.  In the case of Rosa Parks, everyone knows the story of how she refused to get up and move to the back of the bus which in turn helped to start the Montgomery bus boycotts.  However, what people do not know is that Parks was not the first person to do this exact act of defiance, and in addition, she had been a part of the NAACP for many years.  Her decision to not move to the back of the bus was not a spontaneous act of defiance, but actually, a calculated action used to perpetuate a movement.

Without the support of the larger group and those you may be working with, it can often be very difficult to really create change or accomplish an important goal.  As RA's, we have the support of the rest of our staff to accomplish our common goal of producing a positive experience for the freshmen.  As individuals, we can take deliberate actions set out by working together to encourage change and help make the transition to college a positive one.  If we try to do everything on our own, we can often be unsuccessful, but by learning to work together the year can be a great success.

Part 2: "The Dark Years" by Nelson Mandela

In “The Dark Years”, author Nelson Mandela discusses his time in prison. Of course this does not directly relate to the first year experience. The Residence on Fifth is more of a mansion than a prison. However, Mandela’s time in prison was a transition that he had to deal with. He had to find community commitment as he personally developed. He also received and gave support to the other inmates. It is these details that relate to beginning college. On page 73 he writes, “We supported each other and gained strength from each other. Whatever we knew, whatever we learned, we shared, and by sharing we multiplied whatever courage we had individually.” He continues on throughout the chapter to discuss how he handled his time in prison.

The quote mentioned above applies to many circumstances, one of which was Mandela’s unfortunate case of being in jail, and another being a freshman at college. If our residents know to support each other, and we support them, they will adapt much faster to their new environment. If they were to act as every man for them self, the progress for everyone would be hindered.

Mandela talks about how all of the prisoners would sing together as they worked. In college terms, I thought of this as studying together. If we can push each other through the hard times, we will all come out stronger. Creating this atmosphere in the Rez is our job, and if we succeed the community will as well.

Ian