Over the summer, our country faced an identity crisis. As our phones continued to vibrate notifying us of another terrorist attack, another racially motivated murder or another incident of sexual assault, it seemed the world really had gone mad. With each new tragedy, the question lingered: Are we who we want to be?
The answer was multifaceted. Will we be a nation that tolerates racism? Will we be a nation that tolerates violent protest? Will we be a nation that tolerates sexual assault? Will we be a nation that tolerates domestic terrorism? … Foreign terrorism?
In my humble opinion, we didn’t do a great job of deciding. We made enemies instead of allies, dividing this nation better than the Mason Dixon line. At a time when we needed unity in making heavy decisions, our nation’s leaders would not work with one another towards compromise, leading to a sit in on the house floor. I do not include this example to further any one political agenda, but because it embodies the division that permeates our entire nation in the face of a world we suddenly don’t know how to navigate… if we ever did. Is this who we want to be?
I urge every student to consider this question for himself or herself as we begin a new year: Are you who you want to be? If not, what do you need to change? If so, how can you keep growing? To further promote this idea, the Old Gold and Black is embarking on a yearlong campaign revolving around students’ personal to-do lists. We want to know what goals you have on your to-do list for this academic year. Whether it’s taking time to work on physical or mental health, making better grades, meeting new friends, exploring outside your major academically, etc., we want to be a part of celebrating that with you. To share your to-do list with us, post pictures throughout the year on Instagram about your goals and your progress in achieving them. Make sure you follow our account (oldgandb), and use the hashtag #wocotodo when you post. We will re-post and share them with the rest of the Wofford community. I will also be sharing my own to-do list right here in the editor column every issue.
In order to make Wofford the school we want it to be, we must first become the students we need to be. In this regard, our hope is that the campus community will take this as an opportunity to further this college’s reputation as one of the top liberal arts institutions in the nation. So, what’s on your to-do list this year, Wofford?
-Katie Sanders, Editor in Chief
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be… I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” –F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
