Another exhausting week. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever not be tired during my time at Haverford.
Election fever is becoming infectious, and I was finally able to register to vote (there’s no voter fraud here, folks, I’m an American citizen) after schlepping to get my Social Security Number and filling out far too many forms. I, along with everybody else at Haverford, spent Friday night watching the debate between Obama and McCain on television, and then bashing McCain afterwards – I haven’t yet met a Republican at Haverford.
On the student politics front, Sunday night was spent at Plenary (like Edinburgh’s AGMs) on the gym floor voting on everything from changing grammar in the constitution to demanding letters of apology from the faculty. Haverford students get really into Plenary, and everyone brings blankets, pillows, work, food and drinks, and makes a social occasion of directing the future of the college. I took my English Literature reading (Walter Benjamin and Freud – whoop-de-doo) and played hearts.
Haverford really encourages student involvement in every aspect of college life. From Plenary to deciding what food to include in the week’s menu, students can have their input heard and actually acted upon. Student politics is a lot more fun at Edinburgh, if only for the leaflets, rumours, and scathing newspaper editorials on candidates’ policies, but the very fact that students are so involved in all areas of the college here means that what they promise during elections can generally be achieved.
Food is a case in point. Whilst Edinburgh students were powerless to change the frankly appalling JMC food due to the use of outside catering companies. Haverford students, meanwhile, work in our cafeteria (the DC – short for Dining Centre – très original) and student input has resulted in different foods being served, theme days, and the use of local and organic produce. Consequently, dinner tonight was genuinely delicious – chicken roasted in herbs and spices, sautéed organic green beans, Mexican rice salad, sundried tomato focaccia bread, peach pie and berry cobbler. I would have had thirds, but then I’d have had to spend an extra half hour in the gym, and I’m busy enough as it is.
The title of this blog was uttered today by my friend Peter - Haverford has lots of squirrels (our mascot is the Black Squirrel - and they're real!), and they aren't in the least scared of humans. As the college is an arboretum, they have plenty of trees in which to sit and occasionally scare passing students.
This weekend is the excellently-titled Screw Your Roommate Dance where we have to fix up our friends with people they either like or don’t know. The dates remain a secret until the night of the dance, when pre-arranged phrases are read out uniting the couples.
Obviously, there will be a full report come next week.
