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In the wake of Occidental’s ban on school dances, students have grown increasingly annoyed with the lack of school-sponsored social opportunities, voicing their discontent through online forums such as Oxy Confessions. But any student who complains about having nothing to do on campus would do well to pay more attention to Occidental’s email notification system, specifically the thread known as ‘the root.’
Largely underrated, the root offers information on a wide variety of events that do not receive as much attention as large-scale dances and concerts, but still allow students to organize and socialize on campus. Compiled daily by the Office of Student Life, the root is separated into ‘Student and Club’ and ‘Miscellaneous’ announcements. All members of the Occidental community are allowed and encouraged to submit to the root. Though faculty use the digest to alert students about more technical events, such as upcoming power outages or network maintenance, and students often utilize it to organize carpools or find lost belongings, the majority of announcements promote exciting and important upcoming events. The variety of entries enlivens the root, but perhaps also deters students who are only interested in specific types of announcements.
Events featured on the root cover a broad range of topics and interests. This past Friday, the Vagina Monologues hosted an open-mic event in Lower Herrick. More than a hundred students showed up to watch their peers sing, recite poetry and tell stories about gender roles and identity. The next morning, Associated Students of Occidental College (ASOC) offered students the opportunity to hike up Runyon Canyon and to the Hollywood sign. The root highlighted both of these events, among many others, to the student body in emails, and the most recent volume contains a dearth of fun options for the upcoming week. Occidental does not lack exciting events; for those students willing to look beyond large-scale concerts and dances, the root can serve as an invaluable source of information about social activities happening on campus.
But it is not just recreational events that students are missing out on; if students read all of their emails they would also be exponentially more likely to take advantage of the scholarships, grants and internships available to them. By only opening messages which seem immediately relevant, students limit their opportunities in their haste.
This may seem trivial, but by ignoring their email, Occidental students are dismissing a valuable resource and cheapening its value for others. With such a small student body and uniform communication channel, Oxyconnect has the potential to foster an incredibly engaged and informed residential campus.
If students would even open all of their emails, let alone read them, students would be informed, better able to navigate and utilize Occidental’s resources – and certainly never bored.
This editorial represents the collective opinion of the Occidental Weekly Editorial Board. Each week, the Editorial Board will publish its viewpoint on a matter relevant to the Occidental community.
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