Column: It's Summer Welcome, not summer camp

By Jordan Paul

Published April 30, 2010

Dear Summer Welcome leaders and staff,

I implore you to accurately portray MU when you assume your role as gatekeepers of the university during the coming summer months. In the past, I'm afraid I was sold a false representation of the university, and I feel many students probably share that attitude. Obviously, this isn't to say the gap between expectation and experience was so huge I decided to leave, but it sort of contradicts the idea of preparing students for what they will go through when they begin to study at MU.

For instance, when you stay overnight during Summer Welcome, it's a lot like being at a summer camp in terms of attention and activities. Although I understand the rationale behind that approach — your experience might mirror what you'll experience in the residence halls for the first few weeks — that will not be the aggregate reality of your stay. In the same vein, taking incoming students out to eat at a virtually deserted Plaza 900 is about as far from reality that it can get when it comes to Campus Dining Services. But those are small issues.

For instance, I am greatly irritated at the attempt to portray MU as incredibly diverse. It's certainly more diverse than my hometown in rural Missouri, but especially to the folks who really worry about meeting others with whom they can easily identify, namely incoming minority students, it's completely unfair. The Office of Admissions lists minority enrollment as 2,991 out of 28,477 students, or about 10.5 percent of campus. Meanwhile, the Census Bureau estimated in 2005, 86.54 percent of the state was white, with the other 13.46 percent a variety of minorities, mostly African Americans.

I'm not one of the advocates who believe the flagship public university ought to necessarily reflect the demographics of the state, but it's a stretch to call an institution that does not reflect the composition of the state particularly diverse. When I think of experiencing diversity, I imagine a situation in which the environment exceeds the norms. I get that it's in vogue to be diverse and promote diversity, and I believe MU is honestly making an effort that has experienced success to improve diversity.

But it's the living situation, dining options and even the composition of the student body that bother me the most. It's the portrayal of student life. If you listen to what the promotional literature and staff members say, it seems like MU is a big happy high school — everyone knows one another, everyone gets along and the entire experience is drama-free. Frankly, campus is fairly impersonal. I'm prone to run into people I know as I go about my business, and I know several people in each of my classes, but that probably isn't the case for a first-semester freshman.

Naturally, there are exceptions in the form of discussion sections, labs, honors classes and upper-level classes, but those seem to be the exception rather than the norm. It's obviously possible to meet people, and if you take some initiative you'll find most people are quite friendly, but it relies on the student seizing the initiative. Basically, Summer Welcome undersells the importance of seizing the initiative to become a comfortable member of the student body; they make it seem as if you'll automatically be included, which isn't the case.

Before you start to think I completely despise Summer Welcome, I'll point out it deserves a fair amount of the accolades it has collected over the years. By requiring students to visit campus, they inherently become more comfortable with the environment. Signing up for classes with an adviser helps avoid pitfalls. Essentially, Summer Welcome excels at introducing students to the university and assuaging a reasonable portion of their trepidations. Sell what we do well, because there's a lot of it. MU's a great place. But don't try to make it into something it's not.