The way we were
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York
Colgate University has historically placed teaching as its highest priority. With a very good student-faculty ratio, no teaching assistants, professors who care about whether and how their students learn, and a faculty full of experienced scholars, at Colgate “the students are the faculty’s main priorities, and advising them is a close second,” says a student. To see the campus today, a remote but beautiful location (designed with input from Frederick Law Olmstead), you would notice the wholesome, traditional nature of the students. These kids, as one professor put it, are “boys with big necks and girls with small waists that really like each other.” This is a place where the students have traditional moral values and are well rounded: both athletic and smart. They go on to be CEOs, not Ph.D.’s.
This may not exactly conform to the “idea of a university” treasured by traditional educators, but it’s a respectable heritage for a middle-rank school in a middle-class country. However, the status quo at Colgate has proven intolerable to its administrators, who are wielding their institutional power to reengineer the school, its curriculum, and students. Colgate’s president since 2002, Rebecca Chopp, has generated controversy thanks to her grand visions of transforming the sleepy university into a progressivist-training academy. Chopp’s background and primary research interests are in feminism and theology; she was once director of the Institute of Women’s Studies at Emory University. Fittingly, perhaps, she has adopted the role of moral matriarch, seemingly intent upon infusing the school and its students with a new, postmodern ethos. Working with a politicized minority in the ranks of the administration and faculty, she has begun to change the curriculum and atmosphere at Colgate in ways that are all too familiar to veterans of the PC wars. The success of this unhappy endeavor depends on how successful the administration is at recruiting new students with like-minded goals. According to an insider, the admissions process has been changed to include more oversight and ensure that incoming students possess an “angular” disposition—whatever that means. A report issued in 2003 by the Task Force on Campus Culture recommended, “that diversity be made a hallmark of the Colgate experience.” And they don’t mean diversity of viewpoint.
Academic Life: Out with the old
The heart of a university, regardless of its politics,
lies in its curriculum and its teaching. And at least in the first department,
Colgate is limping. According to the American Council of Trustees and
Alumni (ACTA), Colgate’s core curriculum leaves major gaps in the
education it requires of undergraduates. In fact, Colgate earned an F
in ACTA’s recent ranking of liberal art programs. (So did a number
of elite schools, alas; perhaps Colgate is racing them to the bottom.)
For instance, one goal of a liberal arts education is to provide a student
with historical perspective that allows him to judge current events and
exercise responsible citizenship. Those who crafted Colgate’s current
curriculum seem oblivious to this concern. Almost without exception, first-year
courses approach matters from a twenty-first-century perspective. Most
challenge the student to consider—before he has studied such foundational
subjects as religion, philosophy, or Western history—such hot-button
issues as global warming, stem cell research, alternative energy, modern
medicine, and AIDS. In other words, all the staples of the editorial pages.
Why should parents pony up $31,230 a year so that their children can learn
what’s already published in the New York Times?
Freshmen participate in a first-year seminar, which, according to the catalog, aims to help students understand “the nature of the learning process, the exploration of individual needs and strengths, learning from classmates, and learning from the multiplicity of resources beyond the classroom.” Students must also complete a two-semester track in “Continuity and Change in the West.” That might sound promising, but the course descriptions show an unwholesome tendency to view events of world history exclusively through the jaundiced lens of contemporary controversy.
Finally, for the last of the “core” requirements, students must take a course on “Cultures of Africa, Asia, and the Americas,” choosing from a list of 39 courses on China, Japan, the Iroquois, Nigeria, or the Black Diaspora, to name a few. Through whatever course they choose, students are supposed to develop an “appreciation of the individual culture for its own sake,” according to the catalog. “These courses are designed to expand students’ awareness and understanding of the world’s cultural diversity.”
Until recently, the ideological bias present in some Colgate
courses seemed mostly localized in the usual places—departments
such as women’s, Africana, and Latin American studies. However,
the political virus is said to be infecting some traditional departments
like philosophy and religion. For example, students may fulfill one of
their scant humanities requirements with “Philosophy of Feminisms,”
in which they study feminist, “womanist,” and mujerista interpretations
of politics; specifically, how politics have impacted “marginalized
people.” The course focuses on the “interconnections among
oppressions,” the (allegedly unique) political characteristics of
violence against women, and the “barriers separating women and embodiment.”
Another option is “Queer Studies Meets Religious Studies,”
the title of which pretty much speaks for itself. One could take care
of a social science requirement with “Gender in the Economy.”
However, such courses can be avoided by the savvy student.
Colgate’s advising system does seem to do a fine job of guiding
students through the rigors of college. Even before entering Colgate,
students can ask for help from “prematriculation advisors,”
who help students choose their courses for the first semester. As freshmen,
students turn to their first-year seminar instructors for guidance. These
professors serve as advisors until students choose their concentrations,
at which time they select a faculty advisor from their major departments.
Teaching also seems strong at Colgate. The average class size at Colgate is 19. Of all the university’s undergraduate courses, almost 60 percent have fewer than 20 students. The university has a very good student-faculty ratio of 10 to 1. Graduate students do not teach courses at Colgate. Faculty members hold regular office hours, and most students take advantage of these. “Office hours are the best way to get to know your professor on a different level while still having all of your academic questions answered,” a political science major says. Another student says, “Most students take advantage of the professors’ office hours as professors know all of their students, so it is not uncomfortable in any way.” Professors are interested in teaching, but they are also scholars. “[Members of the] faculty are still active researchers, and, as a result, undergraduates get unusual opportunities and greater responsibilities,” a professor says. “There is a lot more one-on-one attention that the students get at Colgate than they would get elsewhere.”
Opinions differ about the relationship between students and faculty. One professor says, “Colgate has a professorial culture where if you are not highly regarded by students it will, of course, affect tenure—but, more interestingly, it results in demerits even for tenured faculty.” Another professor says, “It is hard to know exactly why the faculty continues to care as much about teaching, after tenure, as they do…. Colgate succeeds remarkably well at maintaining a balance between teaching and research.” Surprisingly, a strong sense of distrust prevails between the students and the faculty, as noted by the school’s Task Force on Campus Culture, which published its findings in 2003. In response, the school began a Residential Education program, which incorporates faculty members into the student residences.
Colgate does boast some excellent departments, according to professors. “The best…in the humanities are English and a small but very serious classics department,” one says. “In the natural sciences, the best are chemistry, geology, and a highly rigorous department of psychology. And in the social sciences, the economics and political science departments are both excellent, with a number of relatively conservative faculty.” One professor in the political science department says that they often have hundreds of students on the waiting list for the departmental courses.
Students name the following faculty members as among the best at Colgate: Michael Johnston, Robert Kraynak, and Barry Alan Shain in political science; Kay Johnston in educational studies; Margaret Maurer in English; Karen Harpp, Amy Leventer, and Paul Pinet in geology; Robert Turner in economics; Doug Johnson in psychology; and Thomas Balonek in physics and astronomy.
Unlike most colleges and universities, Colgate expects its students to take only four courses per semester. They may take five courses with special permission, but are not allowed to enroll in more than that. The idea is to give students the chance to focus more closely on the courses they do take. Besides satisfying general education requirements, students must also choose a concentration, where they will generally receive more structure. For instance, the English department requires its majors to take a broad range of courses. Unfortunately, the English curriculum has been watered down in recent years and no longer includes a survey course that exposes students to the canonical works of English literature, such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. In this area, too, Colgate appears to be blindly following trends set by more prestigious schools.
Student Life: Freedom is slavery
The most notable thing about campus life at Colgate today is the degree
to which the administration is seeking to subject it to Orwellian control.
Colgate has 13 Greek organizations, and about a third of students are
members. Such groups have existed on campus since 1856, and the fact that
they own their own properties has given them some independence from the
university. It has also offered students significant freedom of association—too
much freedom, according to the bureaucrats who now run Colgate. In July
2003 the school decreed that all Greek houses be sold to the school, or
their chapters would lose recognition. Any student who belongs to an unrecognized
fraternity can face suspension or expulsion. (Try to imagine what would
happen to a university that threatened such sanctions against students
who belonged to gay, pro-choice, or other “progressive” organizations.)
It appears that President Chopp took away from her study of theology mainly
a nostalgia for the Inquisition.
Once they have been confiscated, the Greek houses face
an uncertain future. According to Students and Alumni for Colgate —a
group leading the resistance to this power (and land) grab by the administration—the
school “anticipates that university-owned Greek-letter houses will…serve
as ‘theme’ houses. Current theme houses are designed as residences
for students who want to live with others who share a common background
or interest—Asian, African American, Latino, homosexuality, creative
arts, environmental activism, and peace studies.” Any student considering
Colgate should first visit the alumni resistance Web site at www.sa4c.com
to see what he’s getting into.
Hamilton is a small town named after Alexander Hamilton that lies about
a half-hour southeast of Syracuse and a half-hour southwest of Utica.
Since these cities provide relatively few cultural opportunities, most
students stay on campus on weekends. With only 3,800 full-time residents,
Hamilton’s population almost doubles during the academic year. The
Colgate community enjoys a comfortable relationship with the town of Hamilton;
many town residents attend university events, and students support local
businesses. Students can easily walk to local shops or restaurants or
to the village green at the center of town, where the university hosts
a college-town picnic at the start of each new year. One of the most popular
attractions in town is the Palace Theater, which now serves as a dance
club.
Colgate’s 512-acre campus includes Taylor Lake, a favorite spot for watching local wildlife. Although most of the school’s original structures remain, many of the university’s larger buildings like the library and the student center were constructed more recently to accommodate a rise in enrollment.
Colgate is largely a residential school, with 84 percent of students living in university-owned housing. The university guarantees housing for all four years. Students can choose single-sex or coed dormitory floors (no single-sex dorms are available), substance-free dorms, and smoke-free housing. There are no coed dorm rooms or bathrooms in the residence halls yet, but some observers have predicted that this will soon change. Colgate offers a number of theme houses for first-year students and upperclassmen. Some of the choices include Outdoor Connections, a hall for environmentally conscious students interested in outdoor education, and the Harlem Renaissance Center, which is dedicated to the “culture and heritage of Africans and African Americans,” according to the housing Web page. Others are the Asia Interest House, the Creative Arts House, and the French/Italian House.
One house in particular speaks volumes about the administrative agenda. While most of the college houses are lovely, the finest is The Class of 1934 House. This is what the school calls a “rotating theme” house. Each year, 12 seniors are allowed to live there after competing for “a theme.” The most developed theme wins and gets to play foosball and swim in the built-in pool. The winning theme for 2004–5 was “Safe House,” and thus this house became, allegedly, a place where gays, lesbians, et. al., can feel safe—safer, at least, than students who belong to dissenting fraternities or sororities.
Seniors wishing to live off campus must obtain written approval from the director of residential life. This isn’t usually hard to get, but the number of students allowed to live off campus is capped at 250; if more apply, the college holds a lottery to determine who lives where. Colgate obviously recognizes the benefits of having a primarily residential school and works to make sure the campus remains one.
Colgate’s new Residential Education program will dramatically change the student housing experience. President Chopp has made this opportunity to reach a “captive audience” the cornerstone of her reform program. The program is a comprehensive redefinition of housing and its purpose. Students are placed in housing specified by year and are required to participate in scheduled programs intended to produce a student body that is “forward thinking” and “progressive.” Beginning in fall 2004, sophomores were required to participate in “The Sophomore Experience in the Art of Democracy.” This program is billed as an opportunity for students to practice democratic principles while developing into future citizens. Apparently, “democracy” as defined by the Colgate authorities does not include freedom of thought, action, or association.
Devout students interested will find religious houses on
campus. There is a Jewish Union, a Christian Fellowship, a Moslem group,
and a Newman Center. More traditional Catholics may enjoy attending St.
Mary’s in Hamilton.
For students interested in debate, the school has recently hired Miranda
Weigler to head up a team, which had been on ice since 2001. Thanks to
a generous donor, the entire team went to Malaysia to participate in an
intercollegiate debate in December 2004. Whether the debate team will
build up any steam remains to be seen. According to one published report,
the debate held at the Palace (the popular night spot in Hamilton) during
fall 2004 was less than edifying. The topic required students to argue
whether the pope, after having a vision and realizing that the Catholic
faith was a fraud, should lie or publicly come clean. (Maybe next year
they’ll debate what President Chopp should do if she suddenly loses
faith in diversity.)
Students hungry for extracurricular liberalism may choose from an array of student organizations. Colgate’s political organizations include vaguely named groups like Students for a Better World, Colgate Students for Change, Sisters of the Round Table, and Students for Social Justice. Those who find these causes too general may choose from organizations such as Students for Environmental Awareness, Rainbow Alliance (the campus “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning” group), Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, Colgate Greens, or Colgate Democrats. Colgate offers plenty of opportunities to become involved in social tinkering.
Some political groups receive considerable support from the university. When the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance needed help organizing and funding its National Young Women’s Day of Action, a commemoration of the first woman to die of an illegal abortion, the student group turned to the university’s Women’s Studies Center. The day’s festivities included the promotion of abortion rights and purportedly educational activities focusing on issues like “domestic violence, sweatshops, abortion, [and] welfare.”
The Colgate student activities programming group often sponsors concerts, comedy shows, and free movies. The university also hosts five student singing groups that perform regularly on campus.
In the area surrounding the university, outdoor activities abound. The Outdoor Education Web page says that 600 students participated in their programs last year. Outdoor Education lets students rent backpacks, tents, and other outdoor equipment, and conducts a Wilderness Adventure Program for freshmen.
More than two-thirds of the student body participates in the university’s intramurals program, which holds more than 50 tournaments each semester. In addition to these activities, Colgate maintains its own boathouse, shooting range, bowling alley, and climbing wall. The university offers its students about 30 club sports, in which about 16 percent of the student body participate. For more serious athletes, or at least better ones, the university’s 25 varsity teams compete in the Patriot League (NCAA Division I) against schools like Army, Navy, and American University.
The Colgate campus is equipped with emergency call boxes
and all dorms are secured with a keypad lock. A security force patrols
the campus around the clock and a volunteer foot patrol monitors the area
at night. The university has also organized a walking escort service to
help students home after dark. There is very little reported crime. In
2003, there were two forcible sex offenses on campus, along with eight
burglaries. Colgate’s administration says that the theft of compact
discs is by far the most common offense. Students should have few safety
concerns, as Hamilton is a small town with little criminal activity.
The folks in the financial aid office are friendly and helpful. They ought
to be; in 2004-5 Colgate tuition was a hefty $31,440, with room and board
at $7,620. More than 40 percent of the students receive some form of financial
aid. Admissions are not quite need-blind, but the school does meet the
full financial need of those who get in. The school admits students, and
offers aid, on a first-come, first-served basis. After the money runs
out, Colgate stops admitting students who require financial assistance.
Academic Requirements
Colgate has no core curriculum and rather lax requirements for breadth
of study. There are four courses that students must take, but they don’t
constitute a “core” in any meaningful sense:
- “Scientific Perspectives on the World.”
- “Continuity and Change in the West.”
- “Challenge of Modernity.”
- “Cultures of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.”
Students must also take two courses from each of the following areas:
- Humanities. “Plato and his Predecessors” will count. So will “Queer Studies Meets Religious Studies.”
- Natural sciences and mathematics. Choices range from “Astronomical Techniques” to “Evolution, Ecology, and Diversity” and “Prejudice and Racism.”
- Social sciences. Options include “American History to 1877” and “The Emergence of Modern Woman.”
Reprinted with permission, www.collegeguide.org © 2005