Opening Convocation - August 27, 2006
Greetings from Student Senate President Michael Bilder '07

Ownership. It fuels our interests, our passions, and our dreams. In much less banal terms, it is the balance between what we learn, what we do, and we work toward. Ownership is an investment of time, patience, and faith. Owning your college education is probably one of the most important first steps you can take to build a successful life. More specifically, owning your education is the act of personalizing your degree, academic pursuits, and extracurricular activities.

Let me offer one personal example. First semester last year I took a course on the Legislative Process, through which I learned about the intricacies and theories of the legislative branch. Meanwhile, I was serving as the Vice President of the Student Senate – a working legislative body that faces the same inherent problems that any legislature would, just on a smaller scale. To top it off, during the second semester, I had a full-time internship in Harrisburg as a legislative fellow for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. It felt like an academic iron triangle, where my class work, my primary extracurricular activity, and my career exploration directly correlated with each other. For instance, I could apply things I saw at the State House to situations I faced in the Student Senate and vice versa .

All three aspects helped resolve many of the questions I had about my future, and they provided me with more direction and opportunity. I can only hope that every Dickinson student can achieve this full balance, but it is still a worthwhile experience even if your activities are not as directly linked as mine were.

It's also important to note that I had to seek out such an ideal situation; it did not just come to me from out of the blue. It was a gradual process that involved various forks in the road over the past couple years. I may not have been as interested in the Legislative Process course if I hadn't decided upon a policy studies major. I probably would not have been in a Student Senate leadership position if I hadn't decided to run for the Senate at the beginning of my freshman year. There were many small, yet hard choices I had to make when determining what I wanted from an internship and where I should pursue one.

Granted, as enrolled students, many of you will have to make similar decisions regardless of your level of personal investment. But I challenge each of you to be a steward of your college education, not because you feel like you need to, but because you want to. Desire is the key to healthy ownership – you should truly enjoy what you're doing. To achieve worthwhile ownership, I suggest three things: involvement, application, and appreciation.

Involvement. The earlier you explore your interests the better. Do not wait for things to happen to you. Get involved with a club, your professor's research, a campus job, community service – anything to broaden your college experience. Immersing yourself in an activity that directly relates to your field of study is a great idea. Yet sometimes you need a break from your main avocations, and an unrelated activity is an ideal way to balance your campus life. In fact, you never know when that “other” club will lead to your future career. Getting involved within your studies can also be helpful. If you come across a specific topic or issue through coursework or at a lecture, take a few free minutes to look further into it. It never hurts to indulge in whatever sparks your interest. Through involvement, you can discover your true passions, which become the foundation of ownership.

Application. Mark Twain once said, “The secret of success is to make your vocation your vacation.” While the object of involvement is to determine your passions, you should also try to utilize and work upon them for the sake of an enjoyable and worthwhile career. Try applying what you learn in class to an outside activity, or even do the opposite. In 2004, I was very active in Dickinson 's voter registration and absentee ballot drive, through which I developed an odd fascination with election laws. Since then, in various political science and history courses, I've almost always focused on a topic related to voting policies whenever I was assigned an independent research paper. This type of application is what I meant by ownership through “personalizing” your education, and it has helped me realize that, despite its obscurity, elections management is a field I should definitely consider entering after graduation. Everyone has some sort of passion or interest, and the most important thing to do is act upon it. College is the place for you to jump-in head first and to make those professional mistakes that could be very difficult to recover from if made somewhere down the road. Without testing your passions, how can you truly determine their sincerity?

Appreciation. If you cannot maintain the upkeep of something you own, then why is it worth the investment in the first place? Your education, hard work, and passions are very personal, but what's the use if you don't help others achieve similar goals. Actions speak louder than words, and ownership of your Dickinson education should involve giving back to the college. Alumni donations are probably what first come to mind when thinking in these regards. While incredibly important, they are something that most of you in the audience will not have to worry about for another few years. Yet, your contribution back to Dickinson through ownership can start on day one. Be a club officer, a volunteer downtown, a campus employee, or a teaching assistant. If you run a club successfully, don't leave its future officers in the dust. If you have a great idea for a lecture, event, or student organization, share it and follow-up on it. If you see something that needs improvement at Dickinson , work to fix it. Those are just a few of the numerous ways to leave a positive legacy on this campus.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize one dedicated student who saw a problem on campus and acted upon it. Ilyse Rosenblat is a junior psychology and biology major. She is a member of Delta Nu and a “Blue Shirt” in the Dining Hall. This past May, one of her close sorority sisters was struck by a car while crossing the College Street crosswalk and suffered very serious injuries. Ilyse acted quickly and contacted the Student Senate to try to acquire better lighting for the crosswalk. She collected hundreds of student signatures in a petition drive, giving everyone a chance to contribute their support. This was not first time she lead such an effort. A few years ago back in her home town, a child was struck by a vehicle in front of a local school. A high school student at the time, Ilyse led a campaign to bring-about more safety measures near that school. She has kept a very proactive and patient attitude as the Senate, the college's Health and Safety Committee, and other related departments work to effectively implement her proposal.

Her actions and attitudes are an example of ownership in one of its purest forms. She did not stomp her feet and complain about the lack of a solution. Instead, Ilyse got involved with resolving the situation, mainly through applying what she learned from past experiences. She saw it as a responsibility to her friends and the rest of campus, thus showing her appreciation for the greater Dickinson community. Thanks to Ilyse Rosenblat's strong sense of ownership, students will more safely cross that crosswalk.

Whether you are a first year student, a senior, or even a faculty member or an administrator, most of us have a desire to make a difference on campus. Naturally, when there are more than 2000 opinions floating around, there will rarely be a full consensus on what's the absolute best solution to a problem. That's fine; it's a reality of democracy. And despite your level of ownership, you will not always get your way on everything. What does matter, however, is how you deal with unfavorable policies and decisions.

In addition to Ilyse's lighting proposal and the other ideas generated by the Student Senate, there were other members of our community who felt that a pedestrian flag program would be another good way to help increase crosswalk safety. When I say “ownership” of campus, I don't necessarily mean physical ownership of specific items on campus. Now you have to trust me that one of the last things I want to do, as your President, is to stand up here and preach to you about the do's-and-don't's of campus policies. I'm a student too; I like to have fun, joke around, and create memorable moments. But at the same time, I can't help but see a need to speak up, especially when remembering the ghostly scene of emergency vehicles and crying students that occurred at that crosswalk one night a couple months ago. We have a responsibility to look out for others.

Up until this point I've focused on ways to proactively build ownership of your education. There are some ways through which you can passively develop this institution. One of them is to not remove the safety flags from the crosswalk. Sure you may get a few chuckles out of hanging one in your room, but is it worth the tragedy of a fellow student getting hit because of poor visibility?

I'll admit, I don't necessarily think the pedestrian flag program is an effective way to increase crosswalk safety. Does that mean I should disrespect the initiative? Not at all, especially when the college administration is carrying-through with the lighting and crossing guard proposals the students have brought forth. We don't know whether or not the flags will work, and we won't know unless we allow things to take their course. You do not have to use the flags if you don't want to, but keep in mind that others might. If down the road the program turns out to be a bad policy, then so be it; we'll work from there. Ownership includes multiple actions and mindsets, but when you get right down to it, it's all about a greater sense of respect and responsibility.

All of you bring something to Dickinson , and through your involvement and even the smallest application of your experience, you can help continue the progressive development of this institution. The more you help the future of Dickinson now, the more valuable your degree and college experience will be after you leave here. That's the beauty of ownership.

Those who know me well know that I never miss the opportunity to quote Theodore Roosevelt, and it's especially true when I have a microphone and roughly a thousand people to talk to. He once said, “From the standpoint of the nation, and from the broader standpoint of mankind, scholarship is of worth chiefly when it is productive, when the scholar not merely receives or acquires, but gives.” I couldn't have said it better.

Starting today, strive to be a proactive steward of your Dickinson education. Get involved, apply what you know, and help others benefit from your passions. Own this college , and most importantly, have fun doing it.

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