Comments on: “Michael Roth, What Are You Doing About Global Warming?” Or, Politics at Wesleyan

By: Lauren Cohen

Lauren Cohen — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 07:33:27 +0000

It is nice to see that you are doing well at Wesleyan. A true loss for CCA but you made amazing changes here. Maybe I will try to get into Wesleyan for grad school.

By: Yang Seo

Yang Seo — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:46:47 +0000

It is important that the president acknowledges the concerns of the students.

Thank You

By: Jessalee Landfried '07

Jessalee Landfried '07 — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:30:07 +0000

Dear President Roth,

I am so pleased with your interest in sparking discussion about Wesleyan’s energy policy. I, too, encourage you to sign the University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. I believe it is not only the morally appropriate action, but also smart, forward-thinking business practice that will help ensure Wesleyan’s long-term survival and success.

Best,
Jessalee Landfried ‘07

By: David M. Wu '91

David M. Wu '91 — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:43:13 +0000

I hope that all the people suggesting more expensive buildings, more expensive power and more expensive food in the cafeteria are digging deep into their pockets and writing big checks to Wes. Wesleyan continues to be very poor compared to its peers. An effect of raising costs is likely to be rising tuition which is then going to make it harder for students from low income backgrounds to attend. The other alternative to raising tuition, if costs are increased, is to cut back in other areas, such as paying professors less and then see them leave to go to other, wealthier institutions. I think local, organic food is great. I like clean air, etc, etc. But none of us, including Wesleyan, lives in a cost-free world. In sum, let’s help Wes do all of these great things by increasing our financial contributions.

By: Noa Wotton '10

Noa Wotton '10 — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 06:12:36 +0000

Dear Michael Roth,

It’s wonderful to see you seriously tackling questions of environmental sustainability and taking your responsibility as a leader seriously. I sincerely hope such questioning will result in real action that Wesleyan can be proud of and that can encourage other institutions to take their own steps. I recognize that, while it is easy for me to push for, say, environmental sustainability, on the administrative end when it comes to actually getting such things accomplished there is a lot to take into account and it is not a simple question to face. I commend you for the fearlessness you’ve demonstrated thus far and support you in future action.

Also, I’ve been meaning to tell you this in person but I keep forgetting. I read somewhere that you signed a document with presidents of other colleges that stated an intention of deemphasizing U.S. News & World Report ratings, or something along those lines. THANK YOU!! This means a lot to me.

Assuming that the graffiti you mentioned was a chalked note, I am sorry that you didn’t enjoy that experience aesthetically. I hope you might someday warm up to the unique beauty of this bubbly, raw, sly, creative, absurd, sharp, questioning, whimsical, critical, bold, innocent and heartfelt mode of communication that to me embodies so many of the qualities I love about Wesleyan. However, I understand the perspective of those to whom our wonderings and wanderings and logistical memos and drawings and questions feels “unclean.” There will be time for discussions of access and other concerns… but for now, I am sorry about any clash of aesthetics that you are feeling. When I celebrate chalking, I am genuinely sorry that it is ugly to some people. It is never my intention to deface, and I regret that my art is apparently an eyesore to some.

I truly enjoy seeing the richness and vitality of the discussions that happen all over campus (I love Wesleyan!) reach even into the physical space where we live. It’s the ground we walk on. That said, the discussions that happen on campus are not always enlightened. This is a simple fact. In speech, action, print, and online, people express themselves crudely, rudely, and without rigor. Chalk, like other forms of communication, is vulnerable to being used imperfectly. This is one of the prices we pay for open dialogue. I agree with Jeff Compton P’11 that the question you read was phrased in an obnoxiously oppositional manner, and I am sorry that you had to deal with this instance of an important message presented in a “dumb way.” I am also sorry that you have to deal with, as I’m sure you do, messages articulated in dumb ways via email, telephone and in person.

It’s beautiful to see the evolution of communication here. From the sidewalk to the blogosphere, let’s keep these discussions alive and celebrate the fact that we don’t always agree, and that our disagreements do not hinder our communication.

Sincerely
Noa Wotton ’10

By: Eliza Simon '04

Eliza Simon '04 — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:13:23 +0000

President Roth,

When I came to Wesleyan, I scoffed at environmentalism – and shortly after I left, I started working for the Sierra Club. My classes, peers, and professors all helped me to realize the inextricable link between social justice (my primary concern at the time), environmental justice, and sustainability. I now work to stop global warming as full-time job, and am glad to see that you, too, are concerned about this issue. I am surprised, however, to learn that Wesleyan has not yet signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment! This seems like a very important, very basic step that would not only increase the immediate sustainability of the campus, but also would provide rich educational opportunities (an E&ES class that conducts a greenhouse gas inventory?) and maintain Wesleyan’s role as a model of progressiveness. Institutions like Wesleyan have the power to push our entire country in the right direction on energy use and global warming, and signing the ACUPCC would do just that.

Thank you – and welcome back to Wesleyan!

By: Miranda Sinnott-Armstrong ’11

Miranda Sinnott-Armstrong ’11 — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:52:07 +0000

It’s great to know that you’re thinking green, and that Wesleyan is working towards becoming even more environmentally friendly. Signing the President’s Climate Commitment is an important step towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and making Wesleyan more sustainable. Please sign the commitment, for the sake of all of us and our planet! If we really want to reduce the amount of climate change that we suffer, we have to act now, and the Climate Commitment is a great way to get Wes started on changing the world, for the better.

Thank you for considering the issue!

By: Christie Kontopidis '10

Christie Kontopidis '10 — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 05:09:22 +0000

President Roth,

Like many other students responding to you here, I also want Wesleyan to be a more sustainable place of living and learning and being. A lot of this should happen on the part of student organization and awareness, activism within ourselves, in educating ourselves. However, because of the structure of this University, a lot of change has to happen within our beaurocracry, if we really want to stop making such a negative impact on world communities in the near future. I believe that the President’s Climate Commitment espouses good and attainable goals for Wesleyan to reach. Please consider signing this commitment to making Wesleyan a more sustainable and wonderful place.

Thank you for considering my words.

By: Sam Berman '10

Sam Berman '10 — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 03:06:53 +0000

As a transfer student, new to Wesleyan, I know the image that Wesleyan projects to its peer institutions. When people think about our school they think progressive and responsible, concerned and globally conscientious. We are their model for what an institution of higher learning should value and what policies it should put into practice because of those values. I know that Wesleyan as a community supports sustainable living and a world where our fate isn’t measured in kilowatt-hours, but what are these incredible convictions if they aren’t used to guide our University policies? Wesleyan represents a beautiful ideal and signing this challenge is the first step to following through on what we promise.
As a response we, as students, can make our own pledge for conservation and push the University to make the changes that are still necessary. Whether it be chalking or simply turning off the lights, all of us can help Wesleyan become an even greater community than it already is and show others how it should be done.

By: Allison Quantz '10

Allison Quantz '10 — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:55:58 +0000

President Roth,

As a Wes alum, I’m sure you know how hard it is to make Wesleyan students do anything they don’t already want to do–and yet so many students took the time to comment in a personal and heartfelt way on your post. Sustainability is obviously an important issue to the students on campus and we’re excited to see how important it is to you. Like my classmates, I urge you to sign the President’s Climate Commitment as a reflection of the Wesleyan’s devotion to being an environmentally sustainable university. Thanks for listening!