Remarks by Eli Brill '10

President Durden, honored staff. It is my pleasure to speak to you today on behalf of the student body.

My name is Eli Brill and I am a sophomore from San Jose, California. I often get the question “why did you chose Dickinson and come back east?” In fact I was asked as recently as last night when I was flying in to Harrisburg. I have had the opportunity over the years to hone my usual answer, “I wanted a school with a strong international focus, and strong political science and business. But since I was preparing for this speech, yesterday’s question sparked a deeper thought process than usual. And I want to share with you what I realized.

More than just strong academics, I chose Dickinson because of the atmosphere. It was warm, welcoming, energetic, and most of all positive. I visited 17 colleges before settling on Dickinson, and it really is the most nurturing, supportive school I visited. I’m telling you this story, because though the faculty make up a part of this atmosphere, it’s you, the staff that truly brings this campus to life. Whether it’s in the residence halls in the morning, on the fields in the afternoon, or behind the counters in the dining hall at dinnertime. It is you that truly make this place feel like home. And for me, being 3000 miles away from home, that means a lot.

Whether or not you realize it, your attitude directly affects mine and the rest of the student body every day of the week. When you guys are smiling, so are we. Your warm “hello” in the morning makes us feel above all else, loved and taken care of. And this is something that quite honestly, the students all need to do our best, when we come in to Dickinson most of us have never lived anywhere but home, and because of that we have never operated without our familiar support network. And that gap is in a large part filled by you. I urge you to remember this the next time you see one of us running off to class, or looking glum. You allow us to succeed here, without you we would be truly on our own for the 20 hours a day we are not in class.

Now, I feel I’d be remiss (due to the company) if I didn’t include a Benjamin Rush Quote somewhere in this speech. And so I submit to you this, Ben once said,

“Mirth, and even cheerfulness, when employed as remedies in low spirits, are like hot water to a frozen limb”

I believe these words truly embody exactly what it is you do for us. Beyond cleaning the bathrooms, working the food counters, and mowing the lawns, you provide the mirth and cheerfulness that warms us up every day.

The work that you do allows this college to function. And I submit my deepest thanks to you now, today, at the beginning of a new semester, in the hopes that you might remember this when you are tired, sore and worn out yourselves. As caught up as we students sometimes may appear, I promise you, we notice your work. Without your dedication we wouldn’t be able to thrive here. And on behalf of the entire student body, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.