Joining a club can be a little intimidating when you go to the table to sign up and see that the exec board is a friend group who hangs out together 24/7. It feels like it would be awkward if you joined all of a sudden. But are there really spaces to meet people organically on campus where you can share interests with others if you are not an extrovert? Most of the people that I have met have been through classes, my dorm hall, and other spaces where you are forced to interact with them. But it is hard to find an actual safe space where you can be yourself. I think The Hill as a campus is united, but it can be hard to feel welcome 24/7.
I have been a part of several groups: Enduring Questions, music, art, math, people in a band, people who write for The Olaf Messenger. Yet it feels like every group and subgroup lacks that connection that Aristotle would describe as a virtuous friendship. Friendship can feel performative at St. Olaf. So what is the tackled problem? It reminds me of 2020, when, during the pandemic, people wanted only a group of friends that dressed well, took pictures and clips for TikToks and were perceived as “cool.” Did it really matter to have a genuine connection with these people, or was it all a pose for the camera?
This phenomenon has, in my opinion, carried over to St. Olaf by overhearing, seeing, and experiencing the desire to meticulously curate the way you are perceived. Scrolling on Instagram and Fizz and seeing all these posts about being “cool and mysterious,” people are wanting to be nonchalant, but can’t you see that it is impossible to pretend like the vibe you carefully chose to emulate is not you? I call out for the hope that we can create a safe space for expression because I look at events in other places where people are decorating makeup flip phones, making art fairs, and mixers where people can get to know each other. I think we have the resources to create those communities and create those spaces and events. Can we maybe get the Programming Board on board? But meanwhile, here’s my advice to you: send that text, go to that event, talk to that person, and do not be afraid of genuine human connection, genuine human interaction. Because the only person who can change your life is you. St. Olaf can be a bubble, so take advantage of that and make it your own customizable adventure.
