Road Signs

Last weekend, the weather was particularly nice, so I went around New Brunswick and took some pictures.  I'll probably put them up in themed sets, but I especially liked the pictures of street signs that I was able to take at fun angles.  That's one thing I enjoy about photography - that it allows you to take something ordinary and create a beautiful image.

Alma mater is a Rutgers tradition

An opinion letter that I sent to The Daily Targum (Rutgers University newspaper) in response to the proposed changes to the Rutgers alma mater and this response from two University deans.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines tradition as “a long established and generally accepted custom or method of procedure”.  Based on this definition, I have to disagree with the piece written by Vice President Qualls and Dean Davidson, stating that “change does not mean [the] loss of tradition.”  If the alma mater is changed to become gender-neutral, the words of the song are no longer “long established,” and the tradition of singing words that have been sung by previous University students since 1873 is lost.  Even if few words are changed, the history that the alma mater represents is no longer present.  Rutgers was an all-male institution until 1972.  Being that Rutgers was founded in 1766, women have only been allowed into Rutgers for about 15% of the University’s existence.  The words of the alma mater remind us of this fact, and changing the words to our age-old alma mater marginalizes a huge part of Rutgers history.

As a female student, I am proud to attend a university that supports women so strongly, and I acknowledge the efforts of the Douglass Residential College to encourage women's leadership and success.  And, as a female student, I am in no way offended by the words to the alma mater.  In fact, I am proud that the song represents so much Rutgers history, and I am glad that when I sing the alma mater with a group of Rutgers peers, I join thousands of previous students in making my mark at the University.

If the words to the alma mater are changed, hundreds of years of our University’s history will be lost.  The alma mater is one of the few traditions that still remains at Rutgers, especially since the formation of the School of Arts and Sciences, and it is important for students to remember why Rutgers is what it is today.  The alma mater serves as that reminder every time it is sung.  I am proud to attend a school that has such a rich history dating back to 1766, not just 1972.  Though I understand the reasoning Douglass Governing Council is using to spearhead a change in the alma mater, the alma mater is much more than just another song.  It is a symbol of Rutgers history, and that fact can not be forgotten during this debate.  Changing any words of the alma mater destroys the “long established” tradition that has been a part of those words for the past 137 years.

the Olympics

When the Olympics were airing a few weeks ago, I frequently heard disappointment voiced about the games, mostly that winter olympic sports are less exciting than those of the summer games.  (I am, in fact, a huge fan of the winter olympics over the summer olympics.  However...)


Whether or not you are a fan of the sports themselves, there's something to say about being able to watch athletes- representatives- from 82 different countries come together in one setting, completely devoid of political intrusion; to compete against each other with sportsmanship and grace, without regard to the nationality of their competitors.  When our world today is ravaged by so many political conflicts, an event like the Olympics serves to remind us that behind the front of politics, we are all still human beings, and that even if countries may disagree on certain issues, people from those countries can still connect with each other on other levels.  Yes, the Olympics is a great sporting event that showcases amazing athletes from all over the world.  It also serves as a brief reminder to everyone that it is possible to relate to people from other countries despite some initial barriers that may have to be broken through.  Although politics plays a role in the relationship between various countries' governments, it does not have to get in the way of real human connections.


Whether you take this lesson and impose it on a small-scale or global level, there is something that can be learned by each of us from watching the Olympics.  Though the Olympics occur just every two years, hopefully that is often enough that we don't forget that deep down, there is something the same inside all of us.