Be it the songs you don't know, the frats you can't join, or the history you never learned, Bowdoin students suffer from a dearth of tradition. Because it is fashionable to critique traditions as remnants of ages past or the unhealthy preservation of outdated social constructs, few are willing to give the devil his due regarding the benefits of a healthy respect for it.
I realized the extent of this just two days ago as an alumnus sent me an email about the history of 40 Harpswell, and also during a discussion with an English professor about the state of the lacrosse field behind Harpswell Apartments and how the chilly afternoon meant spring was lagging ten days behind this year, both of which I knew nothing about. These unconnected conversations converged in my head as student representatives addressed the Senior Class later in the day about the importance of joining the ranks of the alumni and making appropriate monetary donations to the school.
So let us clear up a few misnomers about tradition and then get back to Bowdoin. Tradition is more than the arbitrary imposition of historic modalities onto modern life. It is the accumulation of wisdom and knowledge, passed down from one generation to the next. Often we'd be hard pressed to explain some of those traditions, but they serve purposes nonetheless, usually involving the establishment of strong family units and the societal stability that allows for the development of civilization. Other traditions are easier to explain. For example, why do we cook our meat? We surely didn't know to do that intuitively. Trial and error-the makings of tradition-showed that uncooked meat leads to sickness.
Sometimes it is important to part ways with traditions when the ends they support are no longer relevant or are in fact detrimental, such as traditions of racial superiority and divine right kingship. But, in the words of Gilbert K. Chesterton, "Tradition does not mean that the living are dead, but that the dead are living." Traditions allow those who have gone before us to remain a part of what we do today, and allow for us to be connected to them as well.
So, back to Bowdoin. Change is often good-there is no mistaking that, but it must be handled well. Bowdoin has gone through many changes in the last 30 years, from the inclusion of women to the banning of fraternities to the increased importance placed on diversity. Although few Bowdoin men today would have been excited to attend an all-men's college in rural Maine, it thrived for 180 years that way. The all-male tradition was dropped due to changing societal norms and pressures about the role of women in higher education as well as what would best benefit Bowdoin. The fraternities, natural libraries of tradition, disappeared because it was felt they were not longer a positive force on campus. This was in part due to the advent of a 21-year-old drinking age in an increasingly litigious society. Diversity became an increasingly important issue because of a recognition that Bowdoin students would be better prepared for life outside of the College with a greater understanding of different people from different walks of life.
But what of that severed link between us and our predecessors? What connects me to those who have gone before? Professors? Sports teams? Walking the same hallowed halls? Community doesn't just happen-it has to be built. As the school raises questions about what it means to "belong" at Bowdoin, surely it must address the history of the school.
When social scientists talk about "cultures" and "nations," they identify certain traits running through the people of that nation which make them part of something larger then themselves. Often this is language and history. I'm not convinced Bowdoin students all speak the same language and they certainly don't speak the same language as the alum. Furthermore, most Bowdoin students don't know anything about their school's history.
They don't know how the field behind Harpswell Apartments was once considered the finest in New England back when Bowdoin maintained a full-time Buildings and Grounds crew. They don't know that Howard Cosell once announced in a live broadcast that there was no place more beautiful to play football than Whittier Field. They don't know the old school and fraternity songs, being left to chant "mules are sterile" during Colby hockey games. They aren't familiar with the awkward history surrounding an award given for the study of Constitutional Law-named after Jefferson Davis, of all people. As of last year, freshmen will never know what it was like to sit in the beauty of the old Church on Bath Road during Commencement, as hundreds of classes of Bowdoin alumni have done before. And Bowdoin students certainly don't know how many days late spring is.
Bowdoin is a wonderful place capable of forming the finest minds in the world, as it has done for over 200 years. For that tradition it should be praised. But Bowdoin is more than a classroom and the connections formed between students and the College are important. They are what make us part of something larger than ourselves. The College should be educating, not just about science and languages, but about itself. Amidst a period of change, the many and varied stories of Bowdoin's collective history may do well to create a unified language through which students and alums can communicate. Because when we are asked to donate to our alma mater, we may not be donating to the same place. Will we recognize the institution or identify with the students attending? I hope so, but I'm not convinced.