<p>That's true about Swarthmore and the improbablity of having Hitler posters put up as they were elsewhere. As I remember, the Williams' administration had a pretty lukewarm response to the posters. Ditto for the N-word on the doors. It is very hard to imagine the students who have chosen to go to Swarthmore doing either of these things. And the reaction would have been swifter and a lot different. </p>
<p>The Quaker roots still show at Swarthmore. I am not sure why it became officially disaffiliated from the Quaker Meeting (does anyone know?) but any influence that is still there is only for the good. And I do think that this shows in the students who attend.</p>
<p>Reading these posts has made me appreciate Swarthmore again, and for that I thank you all.</p>
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I am not sure why it became officially disaffiliated from the Quaker Meeting (does anyone know?)
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<p>Much of the advancement of higher education in the United States came during the first half of the 20th century, fueled by grants from the likes of the Carnegie Foundation, the Rockefellar Foundation, and so forth. </p>
<p>The Carnegie Foundation only supported "non-sectartian" colleges, so there was a fairly broad movement to officially disassociate from religious groups by elite colleges. In 1908, Swarthmore informed the Carnegie Foundation for the first time that the College no longer required Quaker membership as a condition of serving on the Board of Managers. This formal statement allowed the College to get some Carnegie endowment funds for faculty retirement benefits and for library support. The reality of non-Quakers on the board didn't come for several more decades.</p>
<p>How do you think this influenced the school, not having an official Quaker affiliation? How much of its Quaker roots do you still see in the school?</p>
<p>No, ID, you didn't mention Williams, you were only replying to the previous poster who did. I agree with you that there does at times seem to be a little bit of undeserved criticism of Swarthmore, but then please don't exhibit the same behavior we don't approve of in others. It can only coarsen the level of discussion. Heck, I certainly have no bad feelings towards Swarthmore; I think it's a great school (and I don't think Williams is "better" - or worse). I think we can do a service to prospective students by sharing our knowledge about the attributes of the schools which make for the different experiences. I think we do a disservice to these students by not showing respect to each other and to other institutions.</p>
<p>I know that posting positives about Swarthmore is frowned up in this official two-years-and-running drive-by shooting thread. But, I was posting positives. </p>
<p>I believe it is a positive that Swarthmore students don't scribble the "n-word" on each others' dorm doors. </p>
<p>I believe it is a positive that Swarthmore students don't paper the campus with posters celebrating Hitler on Holocaust Rememberance Day.</p>
<p>I believe it is a positive that Swarthmore students don't get hospitalized with alcohol poisoning dozens of times per year.</p>
<p>I believe it is a positive that Swarthmore's Board doesn't have to have emergency meetings to deal with "the drinking problem".</p>
<p>I believe it is a positive that Swarthmore students are potty-trained and don't have outbreaks of feces spreading on the walls of campus buildings in two of the last three years.</p>
<p>Now, of course, your mileage may vary. Others may feel that these positive attributes are insignificant and fail to offset the fact that Swarthmore students take their academics seriously and study hard. But, I think it's worth pointing out a few positive attributes none the less. Otherwise, these drive-by shooting threads lose any sense of perpective.</p>
<p>When I was a chemE at Northwestern, I met this Swat grad in my class. She was in her first year of the MS program in chemE but had to take some undergrad courses because her degree was in general engineering, not chemE. She felt our class was challenging and asked fair number of questions. There's no indication in any way that the class was easy compared to what she had at Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Of course other schools have challenging courses, especailly if it is new information. No one says that Swarthmore is the only academically challenging school. </p>
<p>As far as what interesteddad is saying, Swarthmore has some real attibutes in terms of VALUES. Part of this comes from the Quaker background of the school, part from the students who elect to go there. </p>
<p>Much of this is also is influenced by the administration.</p>
<p>No one is bashing Swarthmore! It's a wonderful school...but there are certain characteristics every school has, and it's good to be aware of them. You'll probably get one of the best educational experiences in the country at Swat, but it's a fact that it's a hard place to be, especially if you can't handle a tremendous amount of stress.
Interesteddad: two of my friends go to Swarthmore. They like it, but they do look at their Vassar friends and wish they had the same balanced life. And FYI: I'm not at Vassar anymore. It wasn't the right fit for me, so I transferred. So basically: there are goods and bads to every school, and it's fair to warn people about them. I've given my fair number of warnings on the Vassar thread (as well as some praise for the school's many merits). It's about balance.</p>
<p>I'm just glad that we have this drive-by shooting thread running non-stop for over two years now with dire warnings to Swarthmore prospects that Swat is the kind of school where students study hard.</p>
<p>Ya know, off all the Swatties I've met, I don't think any of them would have figured that out on their own during their overnight visits without all the wonderful help they've gotten from the drive-by shooters in this thread for over two years. Doh!</p>
<p>How 'bout it Swat parents? Any of your kids smart enough to figure out that Swathmore is demanding academically? Or did they all just apply like little clueless lambs? Sheesh.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I doubt that this thread has deterred anyone from applying to Swarthmore.</p>
<p>Swarthmore is academically demanding, but my own child still does a lot of other things such as ECs and has a social life. I don't think that there would have been more free time elsewhere, because there really are not any activities being excluded due to the amount of academic work involved. </p>
<p>It's not a big party school. But that has already been established. There are plenty of party schools if one is interested. Lots and lots of them.</p>
<p>ID, I'm not the one posting negatives here, but you sure blew me away with that. I, for one, would not dream of being so insulting, and that is not the kind of thoughtful discourse one expects to hear from the Swarthmore community. I'm actually a little shocked.
Wishing the other Swattie students, parents, and Alums well,
but I'm outta here.</p>
<p>How is it insulting to post a list of issues at some LACs, but not at Swarthmore?</p>
<p>One of the many benefits of being a student at Swarthmore is that, if you are Jewish, you don't have to worry about finding Hitler posters on your door. Or, if you are African American, you don't have be worried that you will find the "n-word" scribbled on your door. </p>
<p>I know. These seem like things students shouldn't have to worry about anywhere, right? And, I'm sure there are many, many fine LACs where these things would be just as unlikely to occur as at Swarthmore. And, other LACs where they DO occur. But, the Swarthmore forum needs this two-year old continual drive-by shooting thread warning prospects how horrible the school is because, gasp, students study hard. I, for one, find Hitler posters far more disturbing than studying hard in college.</p>
<p>The premise of this tangent is ridiculous. There have been isolated incidents of poor behavior at all LACs which have not occurred at any of the other LACs. Swarthmore has had its fair share. So what if there were Hitler posters put up in recent years at Williams. It isn't unique to Swarthmore that this didn't happen. It probably didn't happen at Middlebury, either, just to pick a school off the top 10 completely at random. It's not like Hitler posters are everywhere but Swarthmore.</p>
<p>When's the last time anyone at Williams got hit with a flying table, for instance.</p>
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The premise of this tangent is ridiculous.
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<p>Right. Everyone knows that this two-year old drive-by shooting thread is supposed to be reserved for bashing Swarthmore. Discussing strengths of Swarthmore viz-a-viz other colleges is completely tangential to the purpose of the drive-by shooting thread.</p>
<p>" a person of strong conviction or prejudice...who is intolerant of those who differ with him" -The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
stereotype: a person...considered to typify or conform to an unvarying pattern or matter..."-Ibid) .
Typifying a group (of students, or a College) by the bigotted, or bad behavior of a few, is certainly stereotyping. This is hurtful speech and the same bad behavior. It's a pretty small step to progress from stereotyping a group, to prejudice, to bigotry,to racism, etc.<br>
I should think one shouldn't be behaving in the same manner as those you admonish.
It was not your intention, but you imply, nevertheless that Students at a Certain College are bigots, anti-semites, racist, whatever--or at least tolerate this behavior. Nothing is further from the truth. You were not there (I wasn't either, but my daughter was). Yes, one student exemplified very bad behavior by making a bad joke about Hitler on posters, but no, my Jewish daughter (and her Jewish friends) were not traumatized, and they feel it was handled quite appropriately. Williams students don't refrain from discussing these issues in all ther glaring ugliness, and it is to their credit. I am sure Swarthmore students would approve. Reading and citing a selected student paper article or editorial, a position paper, checking a blog site, etc. doesn't really convey the reality.
Now I really am outta here.</p>
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It was not your intention, but you imply, nevertheless that Students at a Certain College are bigots, anti-semites, racist, whatever--or at least tolerate this behavior.
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<p>I never named another college. </p>
<p>I listed some patterns of behaviors at other colleges that are unlikely to be found at Swarthmore and pointed out that the absence of these behaviors is a positive attribute of Swarthmore. Sorry if that offends those who came here looking to continue the two-year old drive-by shooting thread. </p>
<p>Notice that none of the Swarthmore parents here are posting drive-by shooting threads at other college forums.</p>
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I listed some patterns of behaviors at other colleges that are unlikely to be found at Swarthmore and pointed out that the absence of these behaviors is a positive attribute of Swarthmore. Sorry if that offends those who came here looking to continue the two-year old drive-by shooting thread.
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These behaviors are unlikely to be found at any colleges. You're talking about isolated incidents that aren't illustrative of the colleges in question. The Nazi posters at WIlliams aren't indicative of a Nazi culture there, just like a student getting hit in the head with a flying table isn't something you see everyday at Swarthmore. Discussing these things really serves no purpose, because isolated incidents of poor behavior happen at every college.</p>
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Notice that none of the Swarthmore parents here are posting drive-by shooting threads at other college forums.
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Who cares? This doesn't justify using fallacious, misleading argument tactics.</p>
<p>Let me get your rules of a drive-by shooting correct. Any complaint about Swarthmore is justified and worthy of beating into the ground for two years? Correct?</p>
<p>But, any issues at another college should be dismissed out of hand as non-representative? In other words, it's not fair game to discuss a college that has had n-word slurs by students or faculty in three out of four years? </p>
<p>But, we should warn off all prospective Swarthmore students because the academic workload is demanding -- as if Swarthmore applicants can't figure that out on their own without a non-stop drive-by shooting thread for more than 24 months?</p>