Ever since I came to Dickinson, I tried to do some private studying on the myth of the American school spirit. Us Europeans usually only know it the way it is depicted in movies, and if movies are any indicator for real life, I figured, this whole issue was in need of a personal investigation. It turns out that it is not so much about marching bands and ever-present cheerleading squads (although these can be seen as a piece of the puzzle), but that it is more about something…deeper. It is, I figured, the community that is just a little bit different from what I’m used to.
This came to me very obviously when I received recent newsletter e-mails from Dickinson. One e-mail was the short information on Ben James ’34 and his recovery from an injury, asking people to send him a get-well note. It was a short e-mail, but it amazed me: A senior citizen dealing with a complex health issue; that is something we see happening every day. Friends and family hopefully try to help, but other than that there is not much that most people would think can be done about it. It is just that at Dickinson, we do not leave it at that: The community, miraculously well-connected, receives notification, even though Mr. James’ years as a student and a professor have passed a long time ago. The administration finds informing anyone affiliated with Dickinson just the right thing to do.
How would my university at home ever know what happened to its myriads of graduates – and even care! I mean, think about it: You’re an old person, recovering from a health issue, and then you get all those e-mails and letters and cards telling you how many people are out there thinking of you and wishing you to get better soon. What an encouragement! And all that thanks to the community of his former school.
The next thing that amazed me in terms of how much Dickinson is more than just classrooms came the same day: An invitation to join a reception with Noorjahan Akbar ’14 where she would talk about her recently awarded social dedication. Now, how wonderful is that? A student achieves something remarkable somewhere outside the classroom – and the school recognizes it, makes announcements that show pride and offers a platform for her to get in touch with the community about it.
Back home, how would I ever know what my classmates do in the afterhours? I’m sure that also at my university there is the one or the other student who would have a story to tell, but unless he or she puts up posters around campus himself or herself, I would never find out about it.
I’m not sure, after all, if this way of community-thinking is an American thing, or a small liberal arts school thing, or “Distinctively Dickinsonian.” But I have to say that I like it, and I hope that the people forming the community can appreciate what they have here.
