Delivering American University's news and views since 1925 | Tuesday, September 26, 2023
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The November/December 2018 issue of Foreign Affairs features University President Sylvia Burwell’s “Generation Stress,” an essay discussing factors that contribute to rising stress- induced depression and anxiety among college students.
Freedom. That is the pillar holding up America: the promise of the right to speak up, the right to express yourself and the right to uphold the truth. Freedom cannot exist without the media, and consequently, neither can democracy. A free press is what separates a democracy from tyranny, so in a time when the person who is meant to ensure that every American’s freedoms are not threatened says that journalists are “the enemy of the people,” we need to look at each other and ask, “how have we allowed our freedom to be taken away? Why are we allowing it?”
For many students, spring break is a week of relaxation, vacations to tropical sites or spending time with family. We all look forward to the post-midterms, mid-semester break.
It isn’t just the arrival of Valentine’s Day that has couples around campus holding hands and stealing kisses between classes. You see public displays of affection year-round but gestures like make out sessions on the quad and sensual shoulder rubs on the couches in the Davenport continue to surprise me. Out of all the ways that I anticipated culture shock as an international student, public displays of affection (PDA) was not one that I thought I would struggle with.
Last Monday marked yet another unfortunate day for the University when anti-immigration posters were found around several buildings on campus. However, it isn’t the act itself that makes it tragic anymore, but rather the fact these hate crimes have become so repetitive at AU that the shock factor they are meant to have is slowly fading.
Every day, hundreds of American University students gather around their nearest shuttle stop with glossy eyes staring at their phones, friends huddled together, waiting for the AU shuttle to take them to Tenleytown. For many, it is the safest and quickest way to get around the area. But this semester, the shuttles have been making fleeting appearances, leaving students confused.
In late September, American University fell victim to yet another hate crime when someone hung Confederate flag fliers and cotton stalks in four buildings on campus.
When I first came to college, I had big plans. I wanted to be able to get a job so I could support myself since my parents were already paying for tuition. I wanted to get an internship at all of the news stations based out of D.C. It made sense—I had traveled all the way to America, was paying tuition without any financial aid and wanted to make the most out of my time here. The United States has always called itself the land of opportunities and promises: you can do whatever you want to do. What America doesn’t advertise is how many restrictions I would face and how limiting my student visa would be.
One of the many assets that universities in the U.S have to offer is the ability to pick and choose exactly what you want to study. The curriculum is designed, or rather marketed, in a way that promises students that they don’t have to know what they are doing and have the luxury of changing their major even as late as sophomore year. For example, AU requires that students complete general education courses before selecting a major. Many majors are also small enough or overlap with other courses of study, granting students leeway to explore their interests.
When my family and I think of America, we think of Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, clean roads and Hollywood as "American."
