Walking to the gym this afternoon, just as an experiment, I counted how many people said "hi." Out of the seven people I passed, three made eye contact and two smiled; but not one said hi. Although this may be a biased result and an isolated incident, I think it is still a small clue that our sense of campus community and simple Bowdoin tradition has been lost somewhere between the idea of the Common Good and the exams we're all studying for. But during this last week of school, I challenge you all to rejuvenate the tradition.
I spoke with a man returning for his 50th reunion this June, and his favorite memory from Bowdoin was the Bowdoin Hello. To be honest I was unaware the "Bowdoin Hello" was an actual concept. I figured that it was a tradition that faded out with the fraternities, or maybe became obsolete with the introduction of email communication.
But apparently the Bowdoin Hello is merely a simple gesture, an acknowledgement of your classmate crossing the Quad, a cheerful greeting to your professor in the dining hall, a thankful wave to the cars letting you cross Main Street. I do not think that this would be difficult to do, being students at an institution that prides itself on loyalty to its state, its school, and most importantly to one another.
Barry Mills in his 2003 Convocation welcome speech stated, "Community and respect continue to be the hallmarks of this college and will continue to be among our highest priorities." I also believe community and respect should be one of our highest priorities, and I think they can start with a simple hello.
This informal act of kindness says a lot about people. To exemplify the emphasis placed on the word, I was talking to a cousin (originally from Maine) who attends a small, liberal arts college in California. She would testify that "Maine people" are nicer than California people because when you're walking down the street in Maine, everyone says hi.
However, my lab partner in biology (who was the inspiration for this article) thinks otherwise. He believes that people in California are just as nice, because they also say hi to strangers. The point is not to debate which coast has nicer people, but it does show the importance of saying hello to one another. Saying hello (or rather, not saying hello) says a lot about you.
So why don't more of us take the time (which you'll find, takes approximately three seconds) to say H-E-L-L-O? Is it that we have become too focused on where we're going to recognize others going in the opposite direction? Are we taking each other's presence for granted by not greeting each other? Do we fear not getting a hello in return? Is there an unwritten rule that prohibits hellos to be exchanged between two people who don't know each other...yet? Regardless of the reason accounting for all of the unsaid hellos, it can not be justified.
At Bowdoin College, where collaboration and loyalty among its members is a priority, and the bond between students, alumni, faculty, and staff comprise the backbone of this community, a simple hello should be its trademark. So although this is the last week of school, and we are all in a rush sprinting to the library, do your part in reviving the Bowdoin Hello tradition...and smile, it's almost summer!